freedomfighter80s

Critics call the decision 'shocking' and 'absurd'  Narjas Zatat  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/saudi-arabia-un-womens-rights-commission-appointment-anger-reaction-kingdom-hrf-mona-a7700866.html Saudi Arabia has been  voted onto  the UN women’s rights commission in a secret ballot - a move branded "shocking" and "absurd" by critics.  At least five European Union states reportedly cast their ballots for the Middle Eastern kingdom, where women still do not have the right the right to drive and were only allowed to stand as candidates and vote in municipal elections first the first time, two years ago.  It will now serve a four year term on the UN Commission on the Status of Women, which  claims to be dedicated to the “promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women”. Rothna   Begum , a women's rights researcher at  Human Rights Watch  told  The Independent  it was "shocking".  ...

Trump administration rolls back protections for transgender students https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-administration-rolls-back-protections-for-transgender-students/2017/02/22/550a83b4-f913-11e6-bf01-d47f8cf9b643_story.html?pushid=breaking-news_1487784347&tid=notifi_push_breaking-news&utm_term=.937e35bdab72 By  Sandhya Somashekhar ,  Emma Brown  and  Moriah Balingit   February 22 at 9:28 PM   The Trump administration on Wednesday revoked federal guidelines specifying that transgender students have the right to use public school restrooms that match their gender identity, taking a stand on a contentious issue that has become the central battle over LGBT rights. Officials with the federal Education and Justice departments notified the U.S. Supreme Court late Wednesday that the administration is ordering the nation’s schools to disregard memos the Obama administration issued during the past two years regarding transgender ...

These trans Arab women challenge social norms in a big way They did not let society stand in their way. 2017-02-19 05:30 By   Nadine Mazloum Published by Stepfeed http://stepfeed.com/these-trans-arab-women-challenge-social-norms-in-a-big-way-1541 An Egyptian LGBTQ rights group has just honored the late Hanan al-Tawil –  a renowned Egyptian transsexual actress  who was known for playing various roles and challenging stereotypes.  In a video posted by “No Hate Egypt”, the life of al-Tawil – who died in 2004 in mysterious circumstances – is celebrated. Her achievements, roles and contributions to the art scene in Egypt are listed, as well as the hardships she encountered throughout her life. Though she is remembered more for comedy, especially in her iconic role as Korea the dancer (El Set Korea) in the 2003 comedy flick  Askar fi el Moaskar , Tawil (née  Tarek ) was more than just an entertainer. She is credited with being the first o...

http://www.cairoscene.com/ArtsAndCulture/Video-Documenting-the-Life-and-Death-of-Egypt-s-First-Transsexual-Actress-Goes-Viral?M=True May her soul rest in peace.  in memoriam of Egypt's first transsexual actress An Egyptian LGBTQ advocacy group honours the late Hanan Al Tawil, Egypt and the region's first transsexual actress. The group hopes to shed light on transphobia in Egypt, which is rumoured to have driven Al Tawil to take her own life. Yesterday marked the 51st anniversary of late Egyptian actress Hanan Al Tawil. The occasion went almost unmarked, after all, to many, her career was nothing more than her life in the limelight. However, Al Tawil did so much more than entertain, she was the first transsexual actress in Egypt and the the region and her rise to fame was a milestone in the road to progress and equality. To commemorate her life with a video that soon went viral, LGBTQ advocacy group 'No Hate Egypt' took to Facebook to remind us all of Al Ta...

Palestinian writer afraid to go home amid uproar over novel https://in.news.yahoo.com/palestinian-writer-afraid-home-amid-uproar-over-novel-072242928.html MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH Assciated Press 10 February 2017 This undated personal photo provided on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017 shows Palestinian author Abbad Yahya. He is stranded in Qatar after Palestinian authorities in the West Bank confiscated all copies of his latest novel and issued an arrest warrant, accusing him of including “sexual terms” in a provocative work that takes aim at taboo issues such as fanaticism, religious extremism and homosexuality. The crackdown on 29 year-old Yahya has set off a wide public debate between the Palestinian society’s conservative old guard and small, young and liberal minority. (Abbad Yahyia via AP) RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — A young Palestinian author is stranded in Qatar after Palestinian authorities in the West Bank confiscated all copies of his latest novel and issued an arre...

George Michael, Freddie Mercury & Elton John: How They Ruled the '80s British Pop Empire http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/magazine-feature/7647560/george-michael-freddie-mercury-elton-john-british-pop-empire The Live Aid concert at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 13, 1985, was, among other things, a time capsule of British pop at its imperial peak. It fell during a heady era when the entire bill could be British (or, in the case of  U2  and  Bob Geldof , Irish) without seeming parochial. The evening’s lineup featured three rejuvenated giants of the 1970s --  David Bowie ,  Elton John  and  Queen  -- and, for one song only, a young gun who had absorbed lessons from them all. Midway through John’s set, the singer introduced  George Michael , “this guy I admire very much,” and let him run away with “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”  Michael was modeling the riff on young American manhood that he would make...

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/26/george-michael-defiant-gay-icon-sex-life-lgbt-rights George Michael was a defiant gay icon. His life must not be sanitised Owen Jones The popstar’s openness about his sex life, and his campaigning for LGBT rights, offered a liferaft to many – particularly at a time when anti-gay sentiment was rife M ore than 18 years ago,  George Michael  was famously  outed for a “lewd act”  in a Beverly Hills toilet – and promptly humiliated by institutionally homophobic newspapers. Some might have been consumed with shame and grovelled before a tabloid press that had assumed the position of hypocritical moralisers once occupied by the medieval church. Instead, Michael penned the biggest “fuck you” in musical history: Outside, a song that unapologetically flaunted his human sexual appetite, and declared war on the hypocrisy of others. Sex was natural, the song said; it was the attitudes to it that were not: “There’...