This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject , potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral.(April 2014) |
Type of site | Online LGBT community lifestyle website |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Out Loud Media Limited (NZ) |
Revenue | Advertising & Sponsorship |
URL | http://www.gaynz.com |
Commercial | Yes |
Registration | Not required |
Launched | 1997 |
Current status | Operating |
GayNZ.com is a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community website for New Zealand. [1] [2] [3]
Prior to the websites closure in 2018, it posted daily local and international news stories, monitors fundamentalist Christian politics in New Zealand and associated anti-gay pressure groups, reports on political developments related to LGBT New Zealanders, discusses current issues related to HIV/AIDS, [4] holds regular polls on topical LGBT issues, and has previews and reviews of music, theatre, film, television and literature.
GayNZ.com featured a variety of articles profiling a diverse range of LGBT New Zealanders, including Members of Parliament, [5] people with disabilities, [6] drag queens, [7] Kiwis of various ethnic backgrounds, [8] and local celebrities. [9]
The website also features a selection of blogs, [10] a forum, [11] a national LGBT event guide [12] and a personals section. [13]
New Zealanders are generally accepting of gays and lesbians, [14] although low level homophobia (such as the use of the word 'gay' as an insult) is still common. [15]
The gay social scene in New Zealand is small by international standards, especially outside Auckland. However, many smaller centres have LGBT organisations and social networks that cater to their community. [16]
The internet is heavily used by gay men in New Zealand to meet others, especially in areas which lack specifically gay venues. GayNZ.com was along with gax express as a source of information and current affairs for New Zealand's LGBT population to connect with each other and learn about community issues.
Between 2003 and 2006, the senior writer at GayNZ.com was Christopher Banks. [17] His feature articles focused mainly on social and political issues relevant to the gay community, or debunking religious arguments against homosexuality. Some articles were based around in-depth interviews with political or religious leaders. [18]
Banks' writings for GayNZ.com also included a number of film reviews, two of which caused some upset in the conservative Christian community. His review of the controversial 2002 French film Irréversible was cited by the Society for the Promotion of Community Standards in their attempts to have the film banned by the Office of Film and Literature Classification (New Zealand). [19] His positive review of Kinsey , the 2004 biopic of the American sex researcher, drew the ire of Investigate magazine editor Ian Wishart, prompting a further series of articles by Banks on Alfred Kinsey. [20]
In September 2007, GayNZ.com published an article accusing the teenage son of National Party deputy leader Bill English of posting homophobic abuse on social networking site Bebo. [21] GayNZ.com had unsuccessfully sought comment from English before publishing the story. [22] After the story's publication, National leader John Key criticised the website for dragging a politician's son into public debate, and English sought legal advice about the article. [23] A later complaint by English that The Southland Times had named his son was upheld in 2008, whereas GayNZ.com had not directly identified him. [24]
In August 2008, GayNZ.com drew attention to a number of disparaging remarks about gays and lesbians made by ex-boyband singer Brian McFadden while he co-hosted the morning breakfast show on More FM in Auckland, New Zealand. He stated, "Saying pink is a form of red is the same as saying homosexual is a form of male... In the old days there was no such thing as gay. It was frowned upon. The church would burn you at the stake. Modern day, if you are not gay, a man should not be wearing pink. Unless of course you're in the Americas Cup and you're one of these pansies who walk around with Gant t-shirts with your collars up, and you wear pink and you wear white trousers with those dirty brown slip-on shoes. Then you're just an idiot." [25]
McFadden's comments were reported in news reports, gossip websites and weblogs worldwide, provoking considerable condemnation from the LGBT community. [26] The singer later denied he was homophobic, saying through his publicist that his comments had been "taken out of context". [27]
In May 2009, GayNZ.com reported that a 40-year-old HIV+ man living in Auckland had allegedly been deliberately engaging in unsafe sex and had subsequently infected a number of other men. [28] The story resulted in a formal police investigation [29] and charges were laid when four of his male partners laid complaints with police investigators. [30] The case may lead to a law change, after health officials revealed they were informed about the man several months before the police investigation commenced but had not informed the authorities due to "patient confidentiality". [31]
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Belarus face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Although same-sex sexual activity is legal in Belarus, gay and lesbian rights in the country are otherwise severely limited and homosexuality remains highly stigmatized in Belarusian society. Households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex couples. Belarus provides no anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people, nor does it prohibit hate crimes based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Many Belarusian people believe that homosexuality is a psychiatric illness, and many LGBT persons in Belarus tend to hide their sexual orientation in public. Those who are "out" face harassment, violence and physical abuse.
LGBT marketing is the act of marketing to LGBT customers, either with dedicated ads or general ads, or through sponsorships of LGBT organizations and events, or the targeted use of any other element of the marketing mix.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Fiji have evolved rapidly over the years, however, LGBT people may still face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. In 1997, Fiji became the second country in the world after South Africa to explicitly protect against discrimination based on sexual orientation in its Constitution. In 2009, the Constitution was abolished. The new Constitution, promulgated in September 2013, bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. However, same-sex marriage remains banned in Fiji and reports of societal discrimination and bullying are not uncommon.
LGBT stereotypes are stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are based on their sexual orientations, gender identities, or gender expressions. Stereotypical perceptions may be acquired through interactions with parents, teachers, peers and mass media, or, more generally, through a lack of firsthand familiarity, resulting in an increased reliance on generalizations.
New Zealand lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are some of the most extensive in the world. The protection of LGBT rights is advanced, relative to other countries in Oceania, and among the most liberal in the world, with the country being the first in the region to legalise same-sex marriage.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Jamaica face legal and social issues not experienced by non-LGBT people. Consensual sexual intercourse between same-sex partners is legally punishable by imprisonment.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people living in Lebanon may face discrimination and legal difficulties not experienced by non-LGBT residents and are heavily looked down upon by society. Various courts have ruled that Article 534 of the Lebanese Penal Code, which prohibits having sexual relations that "contradict the laws of nature", should not be used to arrest LGBT people. Nonetheless, the law is still being used to harass and persecute LGBT people through occasional police arrests, in which detainees are sometimes subject to intrusive physical examinations.
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear and may sometimes be attributed to religious beliefs.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Zimbabwe face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Since 1995, the Government of Zimbabwe has carried out campaigns against LGBT rights. Sodomy is classified as unlawful sexual conduct and defined in the Criminal Code as either anal sexual intercourse or any "indecent act" between consenting adults. Since 1995, the government has carried out campaigns against both homosexual men and women.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Albania face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, although LGBT people are protected under comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation. Both male and female same-gender sexual activities have been legal in Albania since 1995, but households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-gender couples, with same-sex unions not being recognized in the country in any form.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Armenia face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents, due in part to the lack of laws prohibiting discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity and in part to prevailing negative attitudes about LGBT persons throughout society.
New Zealand society is generally accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples. The LGBT-friendly environment is epitomised by the fact that there are several members of Parliament who belong to the LGBT community, LGBT rights are protected by the Human Rights Act, and same-sex couples are able to marry as of 2013. Sex between men was decriminalised in 1986. New Zealand has an active LGBT community, with well-attended annual gay pride festivals in most cities.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Algeria face legal challenges and discrimination not experienced by non-LGBT residents. According to the International Lesbian and Gay Association's May 2008 report, both male and female types of same-sex sexual acts are illegal in Algeria. Homophobic attitudes are normalised within Algerian society, and LGBT people are commonly subjected to discrimination and potential arrest.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Myanmar face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is illegal and section 377 of Myanmar's Penal Code 1861, enacted in 1886, subjects same-sex sexual acts to a term of imprisonment of up to 20 years in prison. Heterosexual anal intercourse and oral sex are also illegal. Transgender people are subject to police harassment and sexual assault, and their gender identity is not recognised by the state. During the country's long military dictatorship under the authoritarian State Peace and Development Council between 1988 and 2011, it was difficult to obtain accurate information about the legal or social status of LGBT Burmese citizens. Following the 2011–2015 Myanmar political reforms, improvements in media and civil freedoms have allowed LGBT people to gain more visibility and support in the country. Despite the 2015 electoral victory of the National League for Democracy, which promised improved human rights and whose leader Aung San Suu Kyi had once called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality, there have been no changes to anti-LGBT laws. Nevertheless, LGBT activists have noted a growing climate of societal acceptance and tolerance toward LGBT people, in line with worldwide trends.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Sierra Leone face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Male same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Sierra Leone and carries a possible penalty of life imprisonment, although this law is seldom enforced.
Corrective rape, also called curative rape or homophobic rape, is a hate crime in which somebody is raped because of their perceived sexual orientation. The common intended consequence of the rape, as claimed by the perpetrator, is to turn the person heterosexual.
The majority of the countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, formerly known as the British Commonwealth, still criminalise sexual acts between consenting adults of the same sex and other forms of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression. Homosexual activity remains a criminal offence in 29 of the 56 sovereign states of the Commonwealth; and legal in only 26.
Lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) history in Belgium has evolved through the centuries. According to LGBT scholars Bart Eeckhout and David Paternotte, Belgium, considered a conservative nation, developed into one of the world's most progressive and LGBT-friendly states. From the 16th century, Roman Catholic values influenced attitudes towards LGBT rights. Homosexuality and sodomy was criminalised and punished in Belgium, with gay men being put under conversion therapy by medical doctors and psychiatrists. Homosexuality was decriminalised in the 18th century, but sodomy still remained punishable until the 19th century. However, from the 21st century, Belgium developed into a more LGBT friendly state; Belgium's anti-discrimination law ensures that discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal and introduces new transgender legal rights. Belgium is the second country, after the Netherlands, to open civil marriage to same-sex couples in 2003, and granted same-sex couples the right to adopt in 2006. And continues to provide asylum for individuals who may be persecuted for their sexual and gender identity. Belgium has also implemented new education policies to combat school discrimination against LGBT peoples and has allowed IVF and artificial insemination to be available for same-sex couples. Belgium has also supported LGBT politicians and expression of LGBT values through art.
Homophobia in ethnic minority communities is any negative prejudice or form of discrimination in ethnic minority communities in the UK and USA towards people who identify as–or are perceived as being–lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), known as homophobia. This may be expressed as antipathy, contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred, irrational fear, and is sometimes related to religious beliefs. A 2006 study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in the UK found that while religion can have a positive function in many LGB Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities, it can also play a role in supporting homophobia.
The African-American LGBT community, otherwise referred to as the Black American LGBT community, is part of the overall LGBT culture and overall African-American culture. The initialism LGBT stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender.