This is a very gay announcement

Thinkbeforeyouspeak.com has released its new campaign on the issue of teens experience homophobic remarks and harassment.

” This campaign aims to raise awareness about the prevalence and consequences of anti-LGBT bias and behavior in America’s schools. Ultimately, the goal is to reduce and prevent the use of homophobic language in an effort to create a more positive environment for LGBT teens. The campaign also aims to reach adults, including school personnel and parents; their support of this message is crucial to the success of efforts to change behavior.”

I’d say this helps a lot more people than teens, really, many adults are still acting like a kid.

They have also enlisted Wanda Sykes and Hillary Duff to appear in two PSAs that draw attention to the phrase “that’s so gay” and its interpretations.

Paris Hilton in White House

Paris Hilton has finally responded to the taunting attack ad which so insensitively compared her to Barack Obama. Paris shows that unlike either Obama or rival John McCain (to whom she refers herein as “that wrinkly white-haired guy”), that she can gracefully and eloquently explain complicated matters of energy policy…while wearing a bikini and heels and looking at magazines.

The video’s creator, Adam Mckay (the guy behind “The Landlord”) talks about the moment he came up with the idea in Los Angeles Times.

Karl Lagerfeld Going Ugly for Road Safety

Karl Lagerfeld puts on a reflective yellow vest for a new French road safety campaign, declaring, “It’s yellow, it’s ugly, it doesn’t match anything, but it can save your life.”

Bloomberg reports, “Lagerfeld agreed to pose in the shapeless protective apparel as part of a French government safety-awareness campaign, which was kicked off yesterday. The vest and a reflective triangle will become mandatory for all drivers and cyclists on July 1. The number of traffic deaths in France jumped 10 percent to 346 in May, the highest since the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Environment said on its Web site. Two cyclists have died in Paris since the introduction of free municipal bicycles last year.”

International Day Against Homophobia Rally 2008

Homophobia is a crime and over 300 peoples rallied in a busy street of Causeway bay in Hong Kong on May 18 to mark the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO). The rally was full of songs, story telling and even a “die-in” action to protest against homophobia and fight for equal rights for sexual minorities. The SO-U.TV team filmed the joyful protest.

Interestingly, these included several liberal religious bodies, amongst them the Blessed Minority Christian Fellowship, the Hong Kong Christian Institute and the Spiritual Seekers Society, who led the meeting at one point in singing and in testifying that many Christians support the struggle against discrimination based on gender.

The Moon Bear Story

Jill Robinson, internationally renowned champion of Asia’s Moon Bears tells a tragic tale of pain and abuse. These bears are kept caged for most of their life in inhumane conditions only for the farming of their bile. Through love and education Animals Asia is making a difference by saving these bears one by one and educating the world on the pointlessness and cruelty of this activity. Changes in the attitude of government and cultural will bring change over time. But it is the action of the individual that will be most immediate.

International Day Against Homophobia

The cause for the International Day Against Homophobia, its central topic of interest, the common theme that provides information for each of its endeavours remains a universal, multi-faceted and historical phenomenon: homophobia. To show support, wear rainbow or red to show your pride on may 17th.

In Canada, recognition, for lesbian and gay communities, has been first and foremost a judicial acceptance brought about by the adoption of the Charter of Human Rights. However, judicial advances will remain only that until a complete, unlimited social acceptance of homosexuality is achieved and homophobia wiped out. To achieve this goal, the Fondation Émergence proposed in 2003, along with partners, to hold each year a special day dedicated to the social recognition of homosexual experience.

If you want to do more for the cause go to www.homophobiaday.org