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VIDEO: Ken Like Barbie Talks to Gay Men About "PrEP" HIV Prevention

It was almost one year ago that the Food and Drug Administration approved the antiretroviral medication Truvada to reduce the risk of HIV infection in uninfected individuals. That prevention strategy is known as pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP. This became the first medication ever to be approved for HIV prevention in adults, marking a major milestone in the 30-year global epidemic.

Chicago-based YouTube hotness, HIV/AIDS activist and vlogger Ken Like Barbie is featured in smart, sexy and informative video that explains this biomedical intervention. "The frontier of HIV prevention is changing," says Ken. "Instead of just abstinence and condom usage, we now have a pill that we can take to elevate our same sex practices. So, Truvada becomes a safer sex practice in itself."

Ken, entertainer ButtaFlySoul and the Chicago Black Gay Men's Caucus' David Dodd will be the featured guests in a community forum on PrEP tonight at the Center on Halsted in Chicago. The forum will be held will 6P to 10PM.

The video is part of the "My PrEP Experience" multimedia series produced by the AIDS Foundation of Chicago. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

FRANCE: President Hollande Signs Marriage Equality Bill

Liberté, égalité, fraternité! French President François Hollande has fulfilled his campaign promise and signed a bill today that made France the 14th nation to legalize equal marriage, reports France 24.

Hollande acted a day after the Constitutional Council threw out a legal challenge by the right-wing opposition, which had been the last obstacle to passing the bill into law. The legislation also legalises gay adoption. French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who steered the legislation through parliament, has said the first gay marriages could be celebrated as early as June.

The ruling comes after months of controversy and protests both for and against the bill that saw thousands taking to the streets and sporadic outbreaks of violence.

The protests have continued into the weekend, reports AFP.

Late on Friday, between 200 and 300 protesters gathered in central Paris to denounce the ruling backing the bill and calling on Hollande to resign. One police officer was injured after a flammable liquid was thrown in his face. Earlier, a group of bare-chested men wearing white masks staged their own protest against gay marriage on one of the bridges over the Seine. They call themselves the "Hommen"—a riposte to the bare-breasted feminist protesters known as the "Femmen".

Opponents have vowed to continue their campaign and have called for a massive anti-gay demonstration in Paris on May 26. A racist poster for the demonstration has gone viral across French social media networks. The poster depicts the French Minister of Justice Christiane Taubira as King Kong. Taubira is the highest ranking Black cabinet official ever in French government. She emerged as President François Hollande’s point person on the marriage debate.

France became the 14th nation to legalize equal marriage nationwide on April 23. It joins Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Portugal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uruguay. Brazil, Mexico and the United States allow equal marriage in certain states. A legal ruling earlier this week could mandate marriage equality across Brazil.

Via the BBC, check out a fresh new map of marriage equality across the globe AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: UN Ambassador Rice on the "Intl Day Against Homophobia"

Today is the eighth annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO). Activities are being observed around the world.

Ambassador Susan E. Rice, the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, released this video message today. Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

Ambassador Rice paid particular notice to the plight of LGBT youth:

Today, as we commemorate International Day Against Homophobia, we rededicate ourselves to a basic but essential truth – that human rights are universal and must be protected for all. Homophobia, sadly, is present in every corner of our world. And, it is a problem we continue to face here in the United States.

At the United Nations, the United States is standing up for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and fighting to ensure that their voices are heard and protected. The United States was proud to co-sponsor and adopt an historic resolution at the UN Human Rights Council condemning human rights abuses and violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

We will continue to work in every possible arena to protect communities and promote societies in which everyone – especially LGBT youth – can live safely and without fear regardless of who they are or whom they love. We call on all nations and all peoples to join us in ensuring that human rights are universally protected everywhere every day.

IDAHO and the United Nations Declaration for the Universal Decriminalization of homosexuality were launched by Louis-Georges Tin, the Black gay French human rights activist. Background HERE and HERE.

The "historic resolution" referenced by the ambassador is the March 2011 United Nations Human Rights Council declaration to urge the international community to combat anti-LGBT discrimination and violence. The declaration adopted by some 85 countries in a Joint Statement entitled "Ending Acts of Violence and Related Human Rights Violations Based On Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity."

In December 2008, the Bush Administration joined perennial human rights abusers such as Russia and China to oppose a similar resolution. President Obama made history in September 2011 when he became the first sitting U.S. President to call for universal LGBT rights at the United Nations General Assembly.

Watch AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: UK: Meet the Adorable Gay Couple in the Barclays Television Ad

Twenty-three-year-old Niki Mahona and his 19-year-old boyfriend Luis Donegan-Brown are the gay couple featured in the popular UK television spot for Barclays' personalized debit cards. The thirty second advert has been described as one of that nation's  "few mainstream TV commercials with an openly same-sex couple."

Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Gay Star News reports the couple were "street cast" outside Selfridges department store in London.

They picked Niki Mahon outside his job at London’s famous Selfridges department store. And they gave him and his 19-year-old real-life boyfriend, Luis Donegan-Brown—who also works at Selfridges—a taste of fame.

The couple have only been together for just over a year but now they have the claim to fame of being one of the very few same-sex partnerships ever depicted in a British mainstream TV commercial. And it’s been a success—so far an incredible 300,000 Barclays customers have personalized their debit cards.

"I am proud that I can be open about my sexuality and not shy away from comments," adds Niki Mahona. "For many people who aren’t able to come out, I would hope that this might help plant the seed in their mind that they too can be open."

The Barclays television spot is also one of the rare examples of a same-sex POC couple in mainstream advertising. Wells Fargo—another multinational financial services corporation—used several Black gay couples in advertising campaigns. Lufthansa Airlines also used a multiracial male couple in an ad campaign several years ago on Rod 2.0.

Love, love the spot. Watch it AFTER THE JUMP ...

VIDEO: Marc Lamont Hill Wins GLAAD Award for EBONY Article

Over the weekend, one of the standouts of the GLAAD Media Award ceremony in San Francisco was author, scholar and Huff Post Live host Marc Lamont Hill's win in "Outstanding Digital Journalism Article" for EBONY.com's "Why Aren't We Fighting for CeCe McDonald?"

The award was presented by actress, reality star and activist Laverne Cox, and Kortney Ryan Ziegler, the Bay Area-based filmmaker, writer, scholar and activist. Watch the presentation and Hill's speech AFTER THE JUMP ...

The article focused on the case of CeCe McDonald, the Black transgender woman who was targeted in a racist and transphobic attack in June 2011. McDonald fatally stabbed the man that attacked her and her friends. She plead guilty to second degree manslaughter in June 2012. McDonald was sentenced to 41 months in prison.

"No issue has been more important to me, none has been more special to me than writing about CeCe McDonald," said Hill. "This speaks to the many, many battles we have in front of us as an LGBT community, as an ally community, as a community of people who are struggling to create a world that is more fair, more just, more democratic and ultimately just more free. We have so much work to do."

Watch the presentation and Hill's speech AFTER THE JUMP ...

KENYA: Police Make 2nd Arrest in Blackmail Ring That Targets Gays

Very good news to report from Kenya. Police in Nairobi have arrested a second man allegedly involved in a notorious scheme that targets gay men for extortion, blackmail, robbery and rape, reports Denis Nzioka at Identity Kenya.

Hillary Oleshawa was arrested by detectives on Monday night in a bar in down-town Nairobi after area police tracked him down for six hours following a tip off from the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission. According to NGLHRC, Oleshawa has a history of luring unsuspecting gay men from online sites, abducting them and extorting money and property from their family and friends using threats and violence....

Oleshawa is reported to have been using Facebook and other gay dating sites such as Gay Romeo, Manjam, Gaydar and Gay Kenya to target his victims. His latest victim [alegedly] was a high school student aged 18 was lured into Oleshawa's house in last month, illegally detained , threatened with violence to give access codes to his mobile money account and later threatened to be exposed to his school.

Blackmail and extortion of gay men has become a "lucrative business" for criminals in Kenya, according to several reports. Many gay men are closeted—or married—and are afraid to come forward due to pervasive stigma and security concerns.

Previous reports indicated the extortion gang includes police officers. Nairobi police "have denied reports that one of the blackmailers is a fellow police officer."  But after the first arrest was made in February, that suspect reportedly "bribed [police] and was released in unclear circumstances," adds Identity Kenya.

Kenya's government is considered progressive on gay rights. Same-sex relations are illegal—penalties are between five and 14 years’ imprisonment—but arrests and prosecutions are rare. 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.

Kenya was the first African nation to include men who have sex with men in their national HIV strategy.  The recently-appointed Supreme Court Chief Justice Dr. Willy Mutunga has said that "gay rights are human rights" and expressed a desire to overturn anti-gay legislation. As a result, Kenya has rapidly become a refuge for many LGBTs who have been persecuted in East African nations.

See our report for EBONY:  "Can Kenya Lead Africa Forward on Gay Rights?"

Some Background ...
Can Kenya Lead Africa on Gay Rights? [EBONY]
KENYA: Arrest in Blackmail Ring That Targets Gays
KENYA: Police Investigate Extortion of Gay Men
KENYA: Police Officers Target Gay Men in Extortion
KENYA: Venezuelan Diplomat Held in Embassy Murder
KENYA: Venezuela Envoy Slain
Kenya HRC Calls for Repealing Anti-Gay Laws
Kenyan Men Forced into Gulf Sex Trafficking?
UN Chief Urges African Leaders to Respect Gays
KENYA: Pro-LGBT Justices Confirmed
Controversy in Kenya After Pro LGBT Nominees
Kenyan Prime Minister: "All Gays Should Be Arrested"
KENYA: Questions Surround Mandatory HIV Testing
AIDS 2010: Joel Nana on African Gay/Bi Men, HIV
WATCH: CNN Surveys Gay Rights in SA, Kenya, Cuba
Kenyan Gays Demand Protection After Brutal Assault

VIDEO: Rome Fans Hurl Racist Monkey Chants at Mario Balotelli

PHOTOS: GETTY/Europe and REUTERS

La Dolce Vita? The Serie A match between AC Milan and Roma on Sunday was suspended because of racist chanting and abuse hurled at football superstar Mario Balotelli.

Watch the video at around 1:00 and listen to the monkey chants AFTER THE JUMP ...

The Guardian:

The game was stopped early in the second half after Roma fans jeered the Milan striker Mario Balotelli. A warning was announced over the public address system and play resumed.

Allegri criticised the interruption ... as an unsuccessful compromise and said that Balotelli was being increasingly taunted by abuse. "People should go to the stadium to see two teams battling each other on the pitch, not this sort of thing, it's a place for the uncivilised," he told Milan's website "Above all, the culture in Italy is backward – tonight we had racism, laser beams flashed in the eyes of players and an interrupted match."

Mario Balotelli is Italy's first born-and-bred Black footballing superstar. The 21-year-old striker was born in Italy to Ghanaian immigrants. Balotelli has repeatedly been subjected to racial taunts in Italy and across Southern and Eastern Europe.

AC Milan's star midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng walked off the pitch after suffering racist abuse in January. The entire AC Milan team followed Boateng off the field. The 25-year-old German plays for Ghana's international team. Despite the racist abuse on Sunday, the team wasn't likely to abandon Sunday's game because it was a must-win to clinch third place. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Meanwhile: The English Football Association will vote to  "introduce minimum five-game bans for racial abuse. The sanction ... is in response to concerns about a resurgence of racism in the English game," reports the AP.

Watch the video at around 1:00 and listen to the monkey chants AFTER THE JUMP ...

Minnesota Becomes the 12th State to Allow Marriage Equality

In an historic vote, Minnesota has become the latest state to approve equal marriage. Today's vote in the state senate means that Minnesota will join 11 states and the District of Columbia to allow same-sex marriage.

Minnesota also becomes "the first state in the Midwest" to approve equal marriage by legislative vote, adds KSTP.

The Senate vote of 37-30 came four days after the House passed the bill on a 75-59 vote. When the tally was announced after more than four hours of debate, a huge cheer erupted in the chamber and gallery, where spectators stood and applauded. Minnesota will become the first state in the Midwest to make gay marriage legal via a legislative vote. Iowa legalized same-sex marriage in 2009 through a court ruling.

Last week, Dayton, a Democrat, called the bill "one of those society-changing breakthrough moments." His staff scheduled a signing ceremony for 5 p.m. Tuesday on the Capitol steps.

It's a rapid turnaround for gay marriage supporters, who just six months ago had to organize a massive effort to defeat a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage. The groups who defeated the amendment quickly turned their attention to legalizing gay marriage, and their efforts were aided by Democrats capturing full control of state government in November.

Three Democrats voted against the bill. One Republican voted yes.

Minnesota joins Delaware and Rhode Island to becomes the third state to approve marriage equality in the last two weeks. Minnesota and Rhode Island's laws become effective August 1.

Take that, Michele Bachmann and Tim Pawlenty!

CHICAGO: Attempted Murder Charge After Stabbing Ex-Boyfriend

A Chicago man who has "been married to a woman for 22 years" faces an attempted first degree murder charge after allegedly attacking and stabbing his ex-boyfriend. The stabbing was so severe that the victim suffered "liver damage" and needed "44 staples in his abdomen to close the wound," reports CBS 2.

Police say the incident happened on May 1 in Jackson Park on the city's South Side.

Ronald Smith [and the victim] dated until late April, according to court testimony. The pair fought verbally as the victim rode a bike in the park, and Smith drove in his car, prosecutors said. At some point Smith allegedly got out of his car and took out a knife, stabbing the man in the abdomen and left elbow. He fled after the attack, prosecutors said.

Police arrested him on May 9 after taking him to the police station on an unrelated aggravated battery investigation. Smith’s defense attorney said he has been married to a woman for 22 years.

Married to a woman for 22 years ... but apparently closeted and carrying on with the boys. Perhaps he was threatened with exposure. Tragic.

Domestic violence experts estimate that "one quarter of gay men in America [report] having encountered intimate partner violence," reports CNN.

A 2010 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that the prevalence of intimate partner violence was higher in some LGBT relationships than in their heterosexual counterparts: 61% of bisexual women and 44% of lesbian women reported intimate partner violence versus 35% of heterosexual women. Meanwhile, 26% of gay men and 37% of bisexual men reported being assaulted or stalked by a partner, compared with 29% of heterosexual men.

Ronald Smith has been ordered held in lieu of $500,000 bail. The case continues later this month.

PHOTO: FLICKR

Former FAMU Band Member Pleads "No Contest" in Hazing Death

There is a major new development in the case of Robert Champion, the 26-year-old Florida A&M University drum major who died in November 2011 after a vicious hazing from fellow band members. Champion was gay.

Champion's former roommate Rikki Wills  has pleaded "no contest" on the eve of his trial, reports the Orlando Sentinel.

Wills, 25, will be sentenced [on June 7]. But he will not face a jail sentence, said Assistant State Attorney Nicole Pegues.

Wills, who was set to stand trial Monday, accepted a plea offer from prosecutors who hope to use his testimony to build a stronger case against the 11 remaining defendants in the hazing scandal that led to the suspension of the iconic Florida A&M University band. [P]rosecutors dropped the manslaughter charge that Wills had faced. That charge carried a potential prison sentence of up to 15 years.

Robert Champion died from blunt force trauma after the brutal hazing , which allegedly included being kicked, punched and hit with traffic cones. Fourteen former band members pleaded "not guilty"  last month to charges of manslaughter in connection with the case. Wills becomes the fourth to have pleaded no contest to felony hazing or manslaughter.

Florida A&M University is the state's only public, historically Black university. The Tallahassee-based university was founded in 1887 "and it is the largest historically black university in the United States by enrollment," according to its Wiki.

FAMU is well-known for its Marching "100" Band—which has a long history of violent hazing incidents. The Marching 100 has been suspended since Champion's death.  The university will make a decision late this month on reinstating the band, reports Tallahassee's WCTV.

Champion's parents publicly revealed in January 2012  that their son was gay. In addition to being vocally opposed to hazing, Champion's sexuality could have been among the reasons why he was viciously beaten during the attack, according to the family's attorney. Read more at  my article for Ebony: "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell": Why Has Black Media Ignored the Sexuality of FAMU Hazing Victim Robert Champion?"

You May Have Missed:
First Trial in FAMU Hazing Death to Begin Next Week
Why Has Black Media Ignored Sexuality of RChampion? [EBONY]
Students, Parents Criticize FAMU's Anti-Hazing Regulations
FAMU Defendant Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter
12 Charged with Manslaughter in FAMU Hazing Death
Band Members Claim Robert Champion Agreed to Hazing
3 FAMU Band Members Charged in Death Are NOT Students
Band Members Describe Using a "Big Traffic Cone"
Final Felony Suspect Surrenders in Hazing Death
10 Arrested in FAMU Hazing Death
8 Suspects Arrested in FAMU Hazing Death
13 Face Criminal Charges in FAMU Hazing Death
Multiple Charges Expected in FAMU Hazing Death
Prosecutors Review Champion's FAMU Hazing Death
2 FAMU Music Professors Involved in Band Hazing
Still No Charges in Champion's Death
FAMU Student's Sexuality Lead to Hazing Death?
Police Arrest 3 FAMU Students After Brutal Hazing
Investigators Uncover Misconduct in Hazing Death
Champion Lawsuit Reveals Hazing Details