Brand Support

A new post is well overdue. Admittedly I have been so preoccupied with the Olympics- that much of my life has been put on pause- but not my blog! If any of you were hoping I would do a post regarding the Olympic games- I have already covered it in a previous post entitled Sport GAYmes. You can also see who the 22 openly gay Olympians participating in this years Olympic games are by clicking this Outsports link.

Apart from the Olympic Games covering the front pages of the news recently; there has also been a lot of gay-related news. One particular story that I noticed was the American fast-food company Chick-fill-A's stance on homosexuality. Appalled at what company president Dan Cathy had to say about the gays- and the battle that has pursued- I decided that I would use this time to share brands known world-wide that SUPPORT HOMOSEXUALITY AND EQUALITY (the true pioneers of anti-discrimination).

The new face of homophobia, Chick-fill-a's president, Dan Cathy

Many of you may be familiar with Google. Google has largely become the encyclopedia to many questions we encounter on day-to-day occasions. For those unaware of Google (you need to step out of your cave), Google  is a multinational corporation, and is famously known for their web search engine Google search. Google launched their new Legalize Love campaign earlier in July this year. Their aim is to support members of the LGBT community, focusing specifically on places with homophobic cultures. Google are continuously showing their support for equality and the community. Below is a video released on Valentines Day this year by Google and its employees:

Another company that supports gay rights has been around for quite some time (since 1853)- Levis. Not only was Levi's the creator of blue jeans- but they also created what is known as the White Knot. The White Knot, depicted below, is Levis appeal to the people to make their support for marriage equality and equal rights visible. Anne Hathaway, Brokeback Mountain and recent Batman star, was seen wearing a white knot at President Obama's inauguration- to show her support for marriage equality. (Anne's brother, Thomas Hathaway is a member of our community-gay). Levis also has various other t-shirts prints for the LGBT community- one being two woman just married.

Left: Levi Display Mannequin wearing a White Knot. Right: Anne Hathaway wears a White Knot in public. 

One company that wasn't initially met with open arms, when showing their support for the LGBT community, was Electronic Arts, Inc. (EA Games). Many of you may know EA Games for the games they've released, with titles including: Need for Speed, The Sims, Fifa and the Harry Potter series. One game in particular included the option of a gay romance in the plot- Mass Effect 3. Many anti-gay organizations were angered by this decision, but EA Games' vice president of corporate communications Jeff Brown defended their decision claiming, "...In short, we do put options for same-sex relationships in our games; we don't tolerate hate speech on our forums." Now gamers world-wide can utilize the option of playing games and being gay. (Below is a short scene from Mass Effect 3 with gay characters- probably an age restriction of 16)

Staying on the topic of fictional characters; Marvel- the comic book company that has published characters such as; Spiderman, Thor, X-Men, Hulk and Iron Man are also supporters of the LGBT community. Gay character Northstar, who revealed he is gay back in 1992, proposed to his longtime partner Kyle Jinadu earlier in May this year. Following in theme- Archie comics, whom introduced its first gay character in September last year, also had wedding bells ringing this year when Kevin Keller married African-American Doctor Clay Walker. And if that wasn't enough- DC Comics, another comic company founded in 1934, has also recently revealed that their superhero- Green Lantern is gay- thus making 2012 a great year for gay superhero's and characters!

Marvel's Northstar and Kyle Jinadu wed...

Archie characters newly-weds: Kyle Keller and Clay Walker

DC-Comic's openly gay Green Lantern

Among the many other brands: Amazon, the worlds largest online retailer, pledged $2.5 million to help pass a referendum on same-sex marriage in Washington State. Microsoft, the world's largest software makers, was one of the first companies to offer employee benefits to same-sex domestic partners- they also have a resource group called Gleam for LGBT employees and have also donated money towards marriage equality campaigns. Those not yet mentioned; Apple, Walt Disney Co, Starbucks and many other companies (some displayed below) are also among these supporters of LGBT rights and marriage equality.   

KFC sign in light of the recent issues with Chick-fill-a

Iconic Armani advert

Oreo showing their colors/support for gay pride

Absolut Vodka pride edition bottle in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the gay pride flag

Clothing brand GAP advert

Final Thought:
Many of the brands mentioned above are household brand names. Most of them are the leading brands in their fields- and the reason they support equal rights and gay rights is simply because it is the right thing to do. In today's society- publicity is enormously important, and no one wants to associate with companies that have prejudice and discriminant views. The irony is that majority of the homophobic people in the world- use LGBT supportive brands on a daily basis and although one company speaks out about it's anti-gay/homophobic views- another 10 come out in support of the LGBT community. Have a look at these brands- and remember to show your support in return (they've all been here awhile anyways).

International Gay News

Usually my posts are of more personal perspective- feature articles if you like. Today I've decided to do a post more news related. Usually I try avoid news related articles- seeing as the content can be rather saddening and uninspiring and instead I try keep content as positive as possible. Today's post will be no less enlightening than any before- perhaps you might learn a thing or two. I find that the more you educate yourself on topics such as these- the easier it becomes to educate others.

Recently, gay-related incidents have been the center of attention internationally. In the past month:

In America: A ban on same-sex marriage was approved in North Carolina when Amendment 1 was voted for by more than 60% of the state.

In Russia: Laws were passed in the city of St. Petersburg, banning any “public activities promoting sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality and transgender identity", with similar laws being passed in other regions of Russia too.

In Iran: Four men have been sentenced to hang (death penalty) for partaking in homosexual activities.

In South Africa: A proposal was made by The House of Traditional Leaders to remove the term "sexual orientation" from the South African constitution. (The proposal was overturned).

In Zimbabwe: The Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development urged traditional leaders to seize land owned by gay and lesbian citizens.

With 78 countries  that still criminalise same-sex sexual acts and stories as above unfolding on a weekly basis- there still has never been a better time to come out. By that I mean that even though there is all this saddening news unfolding- the world is generally more accepting of homosexuality than ever before. Albeit slow- there is progression regarding acceptance of sexuality. For example- the American president, Barack Obama, came forward and verbalized his support for gay marriage- the first ever to do so. Famous actor- Will Smith and popular rapper- JayZ followed suit mentioning their support of both gay marriage and Barack Obama. In Malawi, the new reigning president has promised to overturn the ban on homosexual acts- Malawi being one of many African countries where homosexuality is illegal. In Havana, Cuba, Mariela Castro (daughter of the Cuban president Raul Castro) mentioned her fathers backing of equal rights for gays and lesbians. In England- British Prime Minister David Cameron has also expressed his support of the LGBT community.

  

Today it might seem like society hasn't made much progression- but perhaps in a years time that 78 figure will be a 75. Maybe majority of America will have marriage equality- setting off a chain reaction...Australia. United Kingdom. France! Lastly- that death penalty for homosexuality may be erased from our world. Regardless whether it happens in a year or not- Imagine it... It has to start somewhere. (There's a little activism in all of us)

Final Thought:

There is still a need for improvement regarding the position the homosexual occupies in present-day society. BUT this doesn't necessarily mean that the position we occupy is inert. Most importantly we have to support one-another as a community. It's inevitable that with greater support the world will slowly start to shows its true colors. I personally look forward to this day!

Oh! One last thought- if the American president supports gay marriage- then you certainly shouldn't be ashamed of your sexuality...

For more information regarding gay rights visit this Wikipedia page

 

My thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the four Iranian men that have been named as: Saadat Arefi, Vahid Akbari, Javid Akbari and Houshmand Akbari. 

The Righteous Gay will not be held accountable should you chose to visit any external links provided- proceed at own risk.

 

Positive Negativity

 We as humans all share one thing in common. We all have the ability to interpret information the way we choose to. Circumstance may lead you to believe that you're incapable of making an assumption without another persons opinion- this however is false. You're highly capable of it. This leads me to todays post- Positive Negativity. The concept is basic- yet difficult to apply. You decide whether it is applicable in your life.

In todays society almost everything is surrounded with some form of negativity. Homosexuality's biggest negative is homophobia. Majority of you have experienced homophobic remarks and perhaps some of you still do today. This may seem absurd but, what if I told you these remarks could lead you into a happier state of mind? By using certain information the way you choose- it may just be possible. "Let my haters be my motivators" or as I like to call it Positive Negativity.

Everyone has an outlet. Some compose music, play a sport, create art and some even eat. No matter what your outlet be, everyone has room for development or "bettering themselves". Bettering oneself is a difficult process- it demands a lot of time, attention and effort. Something that I find helps the process is the negativity that surrounds me. For instance when training- thinking of homophobic remarks allows me to push myself further. The beauty is that it needn't be just homophobic remarks- it may be anything negative. The aim is to achieve positive growth by motivating yourself with negativity .

With the fight for marriage equality and legalizing homosexuality taking part in certain areas of the world- the gay community will come under lots of scrutiny. These efforts will be met with a lot of animosity, hate and anger by the opposition. It may not affect you directly- but it will affect you nonetheless. During this time it is important we let our voices be heard, whether it is comforting a gay friend, partaking in activism or just saying your part. It is important you do not allow the hostility to get to you. Retaliating with anger is never the appropriate way to approach a situation. Be smart. Use their negativity to your advance. Allow them to fuel your progression.

On a personal note- I experienced a lot of homophobic mentality during high school. Due to me being closeted through out high school- friends were comfortable with my straight persona. This comfort led to many people relaying their thoughts about homosexuality, and their disliking of it, to me. Best friends would make distasteful remarks about gay men around me and I could not retaliate or defend them. I know many of you are experiencing the same as I did. As hurtful as it may be- you need to reassure yourself. Allow these moments of aggravation and hurt to build you up! In fact, these moments could be seen as having the upper hand.

Final Thought:

"God hates fags". "Homosexuality is unnatural". "Gays go to hell". Their intention is to break you down- do not allow them the pleasure. Apply Positive Negativity. The concept is basic and advantageous- should you have the ability to apply it to your situation. It may be difficult to apply but no one ever said it would be easy, however, IT WILL BE WORTH IT IN THE END.

I leave you with a quote from a speech by Nelson Mandela, "There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you."

I would also like to express my sadness upon the hearing of Amendment 1 being approved. The fight is not over yet!!!

Image Source: Google(Should any of these photo's belong to you and you wish to have them removed- notify The Righteous Gay)