(IN)2VALUABLE photo exhibit and contest by PINK Armenia tackles intolerance and discrimination

On 21 December 2014, (IN)2VALUABLE exhibition took place in “Nerkay Arts Management and Creativity Center” organised by PINK Armenia. The exhibition - based on submissions for the photo contest of the same name - aimed at drawing attention to the problems of discrimination and intolerance in our society, with the entries reflecting concepts of tolerance and anti-discrimination.

All photo entries were initially posted on Facebook, and the following three entries have been awarded in different categories:

• The most liked photo on Facebook: “All Different, All Equal” by Harutyun Krikyan 

• Jury selection: “My Sport” by Artur Karoyan 

• INVALUABLE photo: “Love” by Ani Tadevosyan

The last two entries were selected by a jury, including both PINK Armenia board members and a professional photographer.

I am glad that along with the three entries above, my favourite entry, submitted by Peghq -“We Are All Humans” (see below), have also been selected to be used for promotional materials of PINK Armenia, such as postcards and informational materials. Congrats !!

(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.
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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.

“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.

London kiss-in and hug-in against homophobia

The London kiss-in and hug-in against homophobia (FB event page) was part of the Great Global Kiss-in, initiated by the Committee for the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHO) and Gays.com. It took place in front of the parliament building - Old Palace Yard, Westminster.

I was there from around 3pm to 4 pm, and made my moderate contribution, especially with hugs :)

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."

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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

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 ;)

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

Boycott Heinz!!!

What better way to respond to Heinz's ridiculous decision to pull an innocuous ad containing a male-on-male kiss on the cheek?

While Heinz's decision to withdraw the ad might have been seen by them as an easy way to palm off 200 fundamentalist Christian complainants, it seems to have been made under the quaint impression that it will cause no offence to Britain's 3.6 million lesbian and gay consumers. Or any of their friends, or families, or colleagues, 13,000 of whom have signed the online petition complaining about the decision.

Above all, Heinz's prim retraction seems to have been made without any thought for the damage that might be done to its business. Supporters of Stonewall have been professing a sudden fondness for Branston baked beans, Baxters soups, Buitoni spaghetti, Jardines tomato ketchup and Hellmann's mayonnaise!

*source: Stonewall Ebulletin

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.