Gay Paris, ‘highsexuality’ and an all-straight Knesset

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


Fourteen percent of Paris weddings last year were gay

James Joyce wasn’t joking when he said everything in Paris was gay. According to city authorities, more than 2,000 gay couples have married in Paris since same-sex marriage was legalized in 2013, about 14 percent of all marriages. In comparison, only three percent of marriages were between same-sex couples in the rest of the country.

Read more at France 24.

Lies and tricks in run-up to Florida same-sex marriage

The state of Florida is living up to its reputation as the weirdest state in the union in the run-up to same-sex marriage beginning Jan 6. A Florida law firm muddied the ruling by issuing a misleading memo telling clerks that they could be arrested if they issued gay marriage licences. Even after a judge clarified that clerks should issue licences, some are now refusing to perform courthouse marriages altogether in order to avoid marrying gays.

California law gives LGBT firms a leg up

A new law will encourage utility companies in California to employ LGBT contractors, giving a boost to gay businesspeople. The law will not mandate that contracts go to certain businesses, but rather requires utilities to report spending on LGBT contractors and set inclusiveness targets. The law has been criticized by conservative opponents as discriminatory.

Read more at The Press Democrat.

Israel’s only gay MP resigns

The only openly gay member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has stepped down because of lack of support from his party. Nitzan Horowitz represented a small leftwing party with only half a dozen seats in the 120-seat body. In 2009, Horowitz pushed for a bill to allow marriages between two partners regardless of religion, gender or ethnicity — marriage is regulated by religious authorities in Israel, and gay marriages are not recognized. He also notably boycotted Pope Benedict’s visit to Israel because of Catholic teachings on condom use.

 

Read more at the Jerusalem Post.

“Highsexuality” is a thing, says Reddit

According to some men on Reddit, smoking pot makes them temporarily gay. One man who posted about how his usually woman-loving self develops a taste for cock whenever he’s high garnered a surprising amount of recognition from other posters. No word on whether pot can turn you straight.

Could men ever have children without the help of women?

Maybe. At The Daily Beast, Samantha Allen digs into what would have to happen for men to gain reproductive independence, and what it might mean for the world.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

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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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