Pranks, Putin and porn

Your Daily Package of newsy and naughty bits from around the world


Elton John pranked by fake Putin

After publicly saying he wanted to talk gay rights with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Elton John seemed to get what he want. It turned out that the Putin on the telephone, however, was actually a Russian prankster. John later said he welcomed the prank, since it brought publicity to the cause of gay rights in Russia: “Pranks are funny. Homophobia, however is never funny.”

Read more from Reuters.

Study: Men who watch porn are more positive to women

A study published in the Journal of Sex Research shows that watching porn is associated with more positive views of abortion rights, women in the workforce, and women in positions of power. The results are counterintuitive to presumptions about how pornography warps heterosexual men’s brains against women.

Read more at the National Post.

New Australian PM disappoints on marriage vote

When Malcolm Turnbull replaced his more conservative predecessor Tony Abbott as prime minister of Australia, gay rights advocates hoped the new leader would finally allow an open vote on equal marriage in Australian parliament. It seems, however, that Turnbull will also appease the conservative wing of his party, blocking a vote until a referendum to be held after the next general election.

Read more at Junkee.

Argentina lifts gay blood ban

Argentina will allow gay and bisexual men to donate blood, a policy that puts the country in front of the United States and Canada. Scientists have long recommended basing blood donation policy on overall risk instead of sexual orientation, but only a few countries have so far followed suit.

Read more at Slate.

Do queer rights equal animal rights?

In this tofu-studded video, queer collective Our Hen House argues that queer rights and animal rights aren’t so different after all.

 

Niko Bell

Niko Bell is a writer, editor and translator from Vancouver. He writes about sexual health, science, food and language.

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