Sam Smith, occupied Seoul and a drunk policeman

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


Sam Smith tied for most Grammy nominations

Openly gay UK singer Sam Smith has garnered six Grammy nominations, tying him with Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams for the top spot. His ballad “Stay with Me” is nominated for song of the year. Openly bisexual Australian singer Sia is tied for second with the likes of Drake and Jay Z, with four nominations.

Read more at grammy.com

Celebrated gay policeman arrested for drug crimes

Chief Inspector Paul Cahill of the London police has been arrested for supplying Class A drugs, which could include cocaine or heroin, and for being drunk at the wheel. He was arrested Dec 1 after he was found slumped at the wheel with a stash of drugs in his car. Cahill made a name for himself as a liaison to South London’s gay community and was awarded the prestigious title of Member of the Order of the British Empire.

Read more from the Daily Mail.

LGBT protesters occupy Seoul city hall

Protesters from the Korean LGBT group Rainbow Activity have occupied the ground floor of Seoul’s city hall to demand the government adopt a charter banning discrimination based on sexual identity. The charter was proposed by a citizens committee but was nixed by the city’s mayor after disagreement over the sexual identity clause. Counter-protesters, with signs reading “Homosexuality and Gay Marriage Out” also gathered outside.

Read more at Korea JoongAng Daily.

US border guards can no longer profile based on sexual orientation

Under new rules from the Obama administration, US federal agents will no longer be able to consider gender or sexual identity during routine border checks or criminal investigations. For years, border guards have been exempt from anti-profiling rules. The new rules, however, will still allow profiling based on race and ethnicity. Also out of bounds are religion and national origin.

Read more at The New York Times.

 

Weird stuff gay people’s family members say

“My cousin asked me how a penis goes into another penis.” Read the whole list at BuzzFeed, just in time for the holidays.

Pastor to writer: “I pray that you will commit suicide”

New Zealand pastor Logan Robertson has admitted he sent an email to gay writer Jim Marjoram telling him, “I pray that you will commit suicide, you filthy fag.” Marjoram is the author of an autobiography, It’s Life Jim, about struggling with his sexuality as an evangelical Christian. While promoting the book by email to local churches, Marjoram got a reply from Logan, who wrote, “We are not interested in your filthy lifestyle or book. The Bible says you are vile, strange (queer), reprobate, filth, sodomite, natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed.”

Read more at the New Zealand Herald.

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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