Russian Church Leader Blames Gay Pride Marches For Ukraine Invasion

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in the midst of invading Ukraine, has found time to give a shout out to fellow transphobe, author J K Rowling. Trigger Warning: This story has details of transphobic statements, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The President in a televised speech to winners of the Presidential Young Artists Awards, claimed that the West was trying to “cancel” a 1000-year-old country and pointed to programs by Russian artists being cancelled across the US and Europe. WATCH: Vladimir Putin says the West has "cancelled" JK Rowling and are now "engaging in cancel culture" against Russia.(Begins at 1:00)pic.twitter.com/fqAin41HpO— TLDR News UK (@TLDRNewsUK) March 25, 2022“They’re now engaging in the cancel culture, even removing Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Rachmaninov from posters. Russian writers and books are now cancelled,” Putin claimed, comparing the cancellations to Nazi supporters burning books in the 1930s. “Recently they cancelled the children’s writer Joanne Rowling because she – the author of books that have sold hundreds of millions of copies worldwide – fell out of favour with fans of so-called gender freedoms,” said Putin. Critiques of Western cancel culture are possibly not best made by those currently slaughtering civilians for the crime of resistance, or who jail and poison their critics.

 Hayes has been away from the musical spotlight for years now but is roaring back to our consciousness with a flurry of activity, including a successful promotional visit of Australia, a banging headline set to a sold-out crowd of 40,000 at the 2022 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade and announcement of his 2023 Australian tour, where he’ll be performing in six Australian cities between January and February next year.“More of a mini-film than a video – come spend seven minutes in heaven with me and my gang in our fictional CLUB U WISH!”, Hayes posted on social media.The music video, totally conceptualised by Hayes, couldn’t be described better than how the press release did it: “Hayes continues to present a version of his past that is clearly a peach tinted re-imagining of his actual life. Timelines blur with the neon and pastel of the 1980’s sitting comfortably next to a Dandy-esque 60’s presentation of the singer portraying himself having a blast.”The single is inspired by the “late 80’s drum-machine, synth-bass heavy R&B pop that influenced his youth” Savage Garden fans will know that Hayes had previously alluded to his first kiss in the 1999 song Chained To You.“Acting like a mover shaker dancin’ to Madonna then you kissed me,” Hayes sang on Savage Garden‘s sophmore record.In 2022, he re-visits the moment, but this time it is an out and proud Hayes re-telling the story and its queer elements.“After so many years of being placed in a neat and tidy package, it’s nice to remember why I got into this business in the first place: to be an artist.

Brian Houston, founder of the global megachurch, resigned following an internal investigation that found he had behaved inappropriately towards two women in the past decade. Trigger Warning: This story has details of child sexual abuse, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The NSW police had alleged that Brian had not reported the child sexual abuse by his father Frank Houston. The allegations against Frank, related to sexual abuse of young boys when he was a pastor in New Zealand and Australia in the 1960s and 1970s. One of the nine boys had come forward to lodge a complaint that Frank had sexually abused him between the ages of seven and 12.Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston and his father Frank Houston.In 1999, the victim’s mother reported Frank to the Assemblies of God denomination led by Brian, who was legally required to inform the police.

Brisbane-based Citipointe Christian College is once again in the news, this time for asking teachers and staff to sign employment contracts that threaten to sack them for being openly LGBTQI.LGBTQI advocacy group Just.Equal has said that school should be stripped of public funding. “Religious schools cannot continue to defy discrimination laws and public opinion, and expect to receive public funding,” Just.Equal Australia spokesperson Brian Greig said in a statement.  “There comes a limit where taxpayers should no longer be expected to fund bigotry, and Citipointe has reached that limit.” Protests Outside Citipointe Christian College (Screen Grab of Nine Entertainment video)According to The Guardian, the employment contract for teachers was dated in February, after the controversy erupted over the enrolment contract. The document says that teachers agree to work within the statement of faith of International Network of Churches that runs the school. “It is a genuine occupational requirement of the college that the employee not act in a way he knows, or ought reasonably to know, is contrary to the religious beliefs of the college,” the contract says.“Nothing in his/her deliberate conduct should be incompatible with the intrinsic character of their position, especially, but not only, in relation to the expression of human sexuality through heterosexual, monogamous relationships, expressed intimately through marriage.”In a statement, Citipointe college said that it was reviewing the employment contract. “Citipointe Christian College can confirm that no member of staff has had their employment terminated for failing to sign their employment contract,”  the school said in a statement published on its website. “One staff

A tearful Russian soldier has blasted Vladimir Putin on camera for killing civilians and children during their invasion of Ukraine.

A gay couple living in Dudley, United Kingdom were targeted by a gang of homophobic teenagers, who hurled vile abuse at them and threw rocks at their house. The West Midlands Police said they are investigating the case as a “hate crime”. Trigger Warning: This story has details of a homophobic attack, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.The married couple Kieran (24) and Steven Douglas-Lane (33) had recently moved from Liverpool to Dudley to start a new life, reported Pink News. “It’s understood a group of youngsters followed two men from a shop on Birmingham Road at around 4pm, shouting abuse,” a West Midlands Police spokesperson said in a statement. “Objects including stones were also thrown at the home but thankfully no one was injured and no damage reported.

EXCLUSIVE: Timur Bekmambetov, the high-profile Russian-Kazakh director who is credited as the creator of the Screenlife genre with projects including Searching and Unfriended, has condemned the “tragedy” in Ukraine and is working on a project analyzing the digital aspects of the conflict.

Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras chief executive Albert Kruger has called for a full NSW police investigation into the circumstances that led to the ejection of one of the original ‘78ers Barbara Karpinski from her seat in the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) during the Mardi Gras parade on Saturday night. He has also initiated an internal Mardi Gras investigation. Kruger told the Star Observer that he is in no doubt that the incident happened. He said that the police action was “unacceptable” and that he is “upset about it to be honest”. Karpinski was removed after standing briefly in the stadium seating area holding a handmade poster calling for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine.

McDonald's will close its restaurants and halt its operations in Russia temporarily following the invasion of Ukraine.

A Melbourne Magistrate’s court on Tuesday dismissed the case against a senior Victorian police officer, who was charged with sharing photos and details of former AFL coach Danielle Laidley’s arrest. Trigger Warning: This story has details of transphobic conduct and transphobic slurs, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Detective Leading Senior Constable Murray Gentner (43) was one of the three police officers charged, after photos of Laidley’s arrest in May 2020, including mugshots, were widely shared on social media and by media organisations. The officers were charged with unauthorised access of police information, unauthorised disclosure of police information without reasonable excuse and misconduct in public office.

Russian-born model Irina Shayk shared her support for Ukraine on Monday via Instagram. Shayk, 36, shared a photo of a black and white peace sign on her personal Instagram account as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. "No To War," she wrote, adding prayer and broken heart emojis.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefMeta, the tech giant that controls the Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram social media platforms, said that it has restricted access to Russian state media within the European Union. The moves are intended to limit the spread of Russian propaganda during the country’s invasion of Ukraine.“We have received requests from a number of governments and the European Union to take further steps in relation to Russian state-controlled media.

The Glasgow Film Festival has withdrawn two Russian titles from its 2022 program in response to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Russian conductor Valery Gergiev has been dropped by his management and from upcoming performances in Europe and the US over his failure to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The friend and long-time supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far issued no statement on the war.Gergiev had been represented by Munich-based manager Marcus Felsner since December 2020.