Queering Yerevan: same-sex kiss performance act in front of Armenia's National Security building

Armenian activists continue challenging heteronormative, patriarchal, 'national security' stereotypes dominated in the country.

In yet another creative way of Queering Yerevan, they staged same-sex kiss performance act in front of Armenia's National Security (ex-KGB) building.

Details via Epress.am in a video below.

Bravo!

Lesbian kiss graffiti in downtown Yerevan

A year ago we witnessed Armenian version of “Some People Are Gay. Get Over It!” in Yerevan to mark IDAHOT.

Today this graffiti depicting lesbian kiss appeared in downtown Yerevan.

Whoever did it, big respects !!

Picture of the Day: Russian gay rights activists share a kiss in front of police

Russian gay rights activists share a kiss in front of police

*Source: Sky News

(Football) kiss of the day

Don't you just like these French football players?! ;))



*via Têtu

Oscar Meteor combats homophobia with a gay kiss music video - Water Under The Bridge

"The video started as a piece against homophobia; displaying the very images that homophobes do not want to see : an everyday gay couple kissing. It got its rhythm through association with the Oscar Meteor project, a collective endeavour based in Paris. This particular track was remixed by The Bangers, comprised of David Maltese and Mederic Nebinger, who collaborated with Daft Punk on their first release Homework. Video direction by JC Polien".

Thanks to Tetu for the link.
***
Oscar Meteor

Oscar Meteor is a collective project by a team of artists, musicians, composers, DJs, video producers and performance artists.

An innovative music act which fuses rock and electronic influences, and tackles important issues such as racism, the environment or homophobia through its songs and videos. Regular contributors to the project include The Bangers, comprised of David Maltese and Funky Derrick, known for his work with Daft Punk, and David Richards who produced many albums for Queen and David Bowie.

Together they bring our hero Oscar Meteor to life; a character with mysterious origins, a dandy both elegant and scarred, fragile and lucid. Oscar is an observer of our society's peculiarities. He displays them and sings about them, while letting us decide whether we wish to change.

Lesbian couple at first 'Kiss Party' in Tbilisi

© фото : Александр Имедашвили, NEWSGEORGIA

I wonder how people would have reacted if there was gay male couple kissing there, although based on the crowd gathered at this particular night club in Tbilisi, it seemed like a gay friendly venue in general.

What captured my attention more, however, that NewsGeorgia that originally reported the news (RU) put "female couple" within quotation marks as if they do not consider them like a normal "couple"...

Первый в Грузии конкурс поцелуев Kiss Party состоялся в тбилисском клубе Club Night. Конкурс продолжался несколько часов, в нем приняли участие шесть пар. Особый ажиотаж вызвало участие "женской пары" из двух девушек. Выиграла конкурс молодая пара - парень и девушка, жители Тбилиси, которые целовались без остановки на протяжении трех часов и десяти минут. В качестве приза пара получила недельную туристическую путевку в Турцию на двоих. Организатором конкурса выступили Club Night и компания Tiflis Tourism.

*Thanks to Tert.am for the link.

Festival De Cannes. Day 6. Red Steps – L’ Apollonide

*Noemie Lvovsky and Hafsia Herzi at Red Steps for L' Apollonide © PanARMENIAN Photo/Vahan Stepanyan

*Alice Barnole and Jasmine Trinca at Red Steps for L' Apollonide © PanARMENIAN Photo/Vahan Stepanyan

*Hafsia Herzi and Jasmine Trinca at Red Steps for L' Apollonide © PanARMENIAN Photo/Vahan Stepanyan

*source of pictures: PanARMENIAN Photo

“I want to blow you all (a kiss)”: Kiss-in picket in front of John Snow pub, Soho, London

You know you are in trouble when your pub made the front page of The Guardian, and became a headlining news in British media for all the wrong reasons.

Yes, they (pub managers) knew it, and they shut down their pub mid-afternoon on Friday (!) Friday night, anyone?

Gay couple on their first date got asked out from the John Snow pub in London’s Soho district for snogging in public. For details of the story - read here.

This incident generated a lively debate on whether it’s OK to display (and to what extent) affections in public. But the key is in this quote from The Guardian: “The case is intriguing legally. The Licensing Act 2003 gives a landlord the right to eject customers. But the Equality Act 2010 says everyone must be treated equally in the provision of goods and services. For a successful defence against any legal action under the act, the landlord would have to prove he had ejected heterosexual couples for similiarly overt displays of intimacy.”

I doubt they would be able to prove it.

Activists mobilised via Facebook and Twitter to stage a kiss-in picket inside and in front of the pub. As soon as the news of protests and media headlines spread, pub managers shut down the pub. Cowards.

Interestingly, kiss-in protest happened on a day when many (including in Armenia) were marking the Day of Silence. Although not directly related, these two events were similar in spirit.

Here is how the events unfolded, via pictures and a video I took.

Kiss-in

Prominent British gay rights activist Peter Tatchell

Raising the Rainbow Flag (video)

Kiss-in

“I want to blow you all (a kiss)”

Snogging of the Day ;)

“Love Music Hate Homophobia”

Homophobia. Diverted.

LOVE, the cover

I know it's not very new, but could not help myself not capturing this when browsing through the magazines' section today. Kate Moss and transgender model Lea T in a passionate kiss that made the latest cover of LOVE magazine.

Two gay men break the Guinness world record for longest kiss to raise awareness for LGBT rights

WOW!!!! They did it!!!!! Well done, guys!!!

KISS OF THE DAY

Two gay men tried breaking the Guinness world record for longest kiss. And they have just succeeded locking lips for more than 33 hours!!!

The current record stands at 32 hours and seven minutes, set on Valentine's Day of 2009 by Nikola Matovic and Kristina Reinhart of Germany. (Advocate)

The whole process was being broadcast live online. I was following them regularly, and it was an amazing experience. They are students at The College of New Jersey. Matty Daley and Bobby Canciello (FB page; website).

The record has never before been held by a homosexual coupling. Matty and Bobby plan to be the first pair of men to change that.

As Advocate reports, they are friends, not boyfriends. They each have boyfriends. They did it to raise awareness for gay rights and equality: “Our Lips Are Sealed” campaign in support of LGBT rights.

Big respect, guys!!!

*picture - via Advocate

Manchester United: “Kiss of Life”

Don't you just love football?! ;)

*via Towleroad: "Manchester United captain Gary Neville planted a kiss on teammate Paul Scholes after Scholes scored the winning (and only) goal against Manchester City just 20 seconds before the end of the match-up."

***
And now this hilarious commentary and headlines via British press (via Queerty).

The Independent: Eternal Scholes gives United kiss of life

You could interpret in various ways the tender moment when Gary Neville wrapped his hands around the head of Paul Scholes and pursed his lips.

He was about to drive several coaches through the homophobic fortress of the Premier League. This was the take of the whimsical Kirsty Young, who told the Andrew Marr Show that it might have been a clip from Brokeback Mountain.

On the other hand Neville, who is of course not famous for striking the most agreeable notes, may have been emphasising a line of praise time-honoured among hard, macho but understating pros, the one that goes: "You'll do for me, son." [...]

The Guardian: When men's lips meet. By kissing Paul Scholes, Gary Neville declared war on homophobia. And Francophobia, too

Les Chansons d'amour ('Love Songs')

I first noticed Louis Garrel in The Dreamers (directed by Bernardo Bertolucci). Since then, he became one of my favourite actors. Talented, different, and sexy.

Yesterday was watching Les Chansons d'amour ('Love Songs').

The film ends with:

"Love me less, but love me a long time."

Perfectly said.



*Louis Garrel's website: http://www.louis-garrel.com

Gay kiss music video from ex-Libertines Peter Doherty

Kiss of The Day

Via Towleroad, this music video for the new single from ex-Libertines (my favourite band back then) Peter Doherty's debut solo album Grace/Wastelands, called "Last of the English Roses". 'Kiss of The Day' - at the end of the video. Check it out ;)

'The kiss of deaf'

This news made my day. It is so hilarious, so weird that I could not resist to post it in full on my blog (below). Who could have thought that “excessively passionate kiss” may leave someone “partially deaf”??! I know, I know, it’s bad, but could not stop laughing while reading the news via BBC.

I hope next time passionately kissing someone, this news would not come to my mind and won’t ruin it. On the other hand, I am kind of curious. How intense kissing should be to result in such an outcome? Am I missing something? Does it worth trying it? May be the secret is in Chinese men, may be I should try one?? ;)
***
Chinese girl gets 'kiss of deaf'

A young Chinese woman was left partially deaf following a passionate kiss from her boyfriend.

The 20-something from Khuhai in Guangdong province arrived at hospital having completely lost the hearing in her left ear, said local reports.

The incident prompted a series of articles in the local media warning of the dangers of excessive kissing.

"While kissing is normally very safe, doctors advise people to proceed with caution," wrote the China Daily.

The doctor who treated the girl in hospital was quoted in the paper explaining what had happened.

"The kiss reduced the pressure in the mouth, pulled the eardrum out and caused the breakdown of the ear."

The chorus of warnings was echoed by the Shanghai Daily, which wrote: "A strong kiss may cause an imbalance in the air pressure between two inner ears and lead to a broken ear drum."

The young woman is expected to regain her full hearing within about two months.


*photo - Getty Images, via BBC - "Couples are advised to "proceed with caution"

(disturbing!) Kiss of The Day

October cover of The Progressive magazine.

This is one of the most disturbing – even if made up – ‘kisses of the day’. Really.

*source of photo: Queerty

Kiss of The Day

I thought days that gay kiss on British TV could cause complaints from ‘concerned citizens’ are behind us. Apparently, some still consider gay kiss as something X-rated (or R-rated) which should be reserved only for a late night showing if at all. The latest complaints came after BBC broadcasted the episode of its long running soap EastEnders showing gay kiss during its prime time pre-watershed broadcast.

Right to the point BBC’s response (love this):

"EastEnders aims to reflect real life, and this means including and telling stories about characters from many different backgrounds, faiths, religions and sexualities.

We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in the same way as we do heterosexual relationships.

In this instance, Christian [gay character in EastEnders] is enjoying the first flush of romance and we've shown him being affectionate with his new boyfriend in the same way any couple would."



*photo via Towleroad

Eurovision: Kiss of the Day (Russia's Bilan + Belarus's Alehno)

Dima Bilan + Ruslan Alehno


*source of photo - gazetaby.com (via gay.by)

Kiss of The Day

It's kind of historic, well, at least for US - first same-sex teenage kiss in daytime history of US TV. Luke & Noah's storyline in As the World Turns soap drama has been building up to this moment.

Van Hansis, who plays Luke Snyder, was nominated for a daytime Emmy for "Outstanding Younger Actor" earlier this year.

There is even Wikipedia page devoted to the storyline.