Gay Africans are facing increased persecution in a continent where two thirds of countries retain laws against homosexuals. Sorious Samura investigates what it’s like to be gay in Africa.

Dispatches produce another great documentry, definately worth watching!

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Online, whether it is gaming on Xbox live with your friends or on any of the hundreds of image boards, the online world is full of homophobia.

There seems to be a three way split currently between most people, there are 3 categories:

• The Hardcore Gamers – These people usually fit the stereotype of a ‘gamer’ people who spend more time online than outside. This doesn’t always make them bad people however the effect of spending more time with their TV/Computer than with friends often affects not only their social skills but quite often their physical and mental health. I myself often I fit into this category, I spend a average of 6 Hours on the internet on my computer daily and on one of my games I have spent nearly 9 days of online play since I brought it. This category is normally reserved for men, however in my time online I have met a couple girls who are hardcore gamers too. Traditional examples of ‘hardcore’ games include FPS (First person shooter) MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game).
• The Casual Gamers – These people are probably the most hated group by the non-gamers and the hardcore gamers for a few reasons. The hardcore gamers believe that casual gaming is reserved for the ‘weak’ people who are not very good at gaming and buy games not for their game play but for their ‘fun’. The non-gamers usually put both of these gamers into the same lump of ‘anyone who plays a game’ as people who are wasting brain cells and their own time. The casual gamers see hardcore gamers as people who get obsessed by games whilst the non-gamers are people who are afraid of technology and killjoys. Examples of these types of casual games are getting more common with the introduction of handheld consoles (Nintendo 3Ds) and the most controversial console, the Wii.
• The Non-Gamers – These are people that believe that gaming is a waste of time and brain cells. They believe that there are too many other things to be doing than wasting time online/playing games. Sometimes these people have been gamers and had bad experiences of online play and given up on it and sometimes they are scared of new technology or believe that it really does kill brain cells and social skills.

There are of course games that transcend multiple categories of gamers, for example, racing games are both played by the casual and hardcore gamers as are adventure games and RPGs (Role Playing Games).

Now what does this have to do with homophobia?

Homophobia is deeply rooted in online games and the internet. A simple visit to any of the internet’s image boards and you will discover the huge amount of homophobia that is all over the internet. Behind the veil of the internet people let their true feelings show. This unfortunately shows us how much work is still left to change people’s views on homosexual behaviour.

The Gaymer Survey, conducted at the University of Illinois and involving over 10,000 respondents, found that gay gamers experienced a high level of homophobic attitudes and language.

Eighty-eight per cent of respondents said that they had heard the phrase “that’s so gay”, while 84 per cent said that the word ‘gay’ had been used in a derogatory way.

Over half of the respondents felt that gays were stereotyped, 52 per cent found gaming worlds to be hostile to gay and lesbian gamers and 42 per cent felt that gays were under-represented.

Only a minority of participants (nine per cent) claimed that they had never encountered anti-gay remarks.

This has been noticed by the gaming manufacturers and they are working towards equality in gaming, for example the Sims, a game where you control people’s lives has been a leader in promoting gay rights, and is always the first to allow the player to make homosexual relationships. Xbox Live is now forcing its game manufacturers to keep in line with its new equality rules.

Fable 3, due to come out soon will allow you to impregnate your friends in co-op mode on Xbox live. But with fable history of being able to have homosexual relationships the chance of adopting being integrated in the game is a definite possibility.

The online world and the gaming community is a big part of society but is mostly completely ignored by government unless a game is too controversial, for example ‘No Russian’ Scene in modern warfare 2 and all of the GTA games. This means that the manufacturers have nearly all of the control of how progressive the games are.

Unfairness can be seen in Mass effect 2 where you can have a lesbian relationship but not a gay male one. This sparked controversy among many ‘gaymers’ the girls and straight males were delighted whilst the gay men were a little bit more miffed at the developers of ME2.

There is a brilliant way to catch up on gay game news, via podcast

We have no real power as gamers to force companies to change their ways, the American gamers vastly outnumber the British gamers and the deep root of homophobia created by most of these Americans will always make online play hard for out gay people. All the power we have is our buying power, by not buying homophobic games and complaining to the moderators online we can slowly get rid of homophobic behaviour.

Date: Wednesday, 12 May 2010

Time: 15:00 – 17:00

Location: Underground, University of Birmingham Guild of Students

This Wednesday at the LGBTQ Society of the University of Birmingham will be hosting a emergency planning meeting for Birmingham pride 2010.

We are holding the meeting in the Underground (Club) of Birmingham University’s Guild of Students. The best way to get there is by train, you can get the train to Birmingham New Street and then from there get a train to ‘University’ Station. There will be members of the University of Birmingham LGBTQ sociaty to meet you from University Station between 2.30 and 3.00pm. Any problems, please feel free to call or text Emma Coopers (Officer-Elect) on: +447502404009

If you can’t make the meeting but would like to be involved in the future, please join our mailing list by simply emailing coalitionlgbt@googlemail.com with ‘mailing list’ as the subject.

Event Facebook Link

click here

With the recent showing of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee I feel that an all gay movie is now on the cards for the LGBTQ movie night. The question remains however, what movie to watch?

Overall, gay films aren’t very good. There are a lot of cliché storylines (coming out, HIV/AIDs, hustlers, et al). Still, these 10 are all excellent movies and perfect for a film night. Here are my top 10 picks for best gay men’s films:

>	10. Mysterious Skin This is a hard movie to watch. It tackles a subject most of us would rather avoid. It goes places few films have the courage to delve into. The subject is paedophile. Two young boys are molested by their baseball coach but have wildly different reactions to the experience. One embraces being gay and actively seeks out older men, while the other has blacked out the experience and believes he was abducted by space aliens. Sounds strange, but it’s a great film that balances humour with great sadness.
	9. Brother to Brother One of the most disappointing aspects of gay movies is the lack of films focusing on black men. What few there have been, haven’t been very good. Finally, there’s a great film all about being black and gay. This film focuses on the Harlem Renaissance, as a modern-day student comes face to face with history. It switches back and forth between the past and present. We get to see the lives of some of the great gay writers of that era. For that reason alone, it belongs on this list. Add to it that it’s a very original film that will entertain as much as inform and you have a classic gay film.
	8. Victim This 1961 film dealt with homosexuality in a much more honest light that most films, and had an impact on society. By showing how gay men were being blackmailed, it helped change the British laws that made homosexual acts illegal.
	7. Wonder Boys This is a quirky film of misfits all dealing with the inequities of life. Michael Douglas shines in this film as a middle-age professor who has never been able to duplicate his success in publishing a first novel. He’s got problems with his wife and his girlfriend. Not to mention his editor and his drag queen boyfriend. The story keeps surprising the viewer and you’re almost sorry when it ends.
	6. A Love to Hide (Un Amour A’taire) I thought all the Nazi Germany films about gays were going to be about lesbians. Finally, one about gay men. In this tale a gay man tries to save the family business by day while he keeps his male lover secret at night. How long will it take the Nazis to discover the relationship and ship the men off to a concentration camp? And will the woman who is in love with the gay man be the one to turn him in? Or will it be someone else?
	5. Lilies If you watch the trailer for this one, you’re likely to be perplexed about it. A confessional where the roof comes off to show a balloon? I hear you ask: “Lilies, isn’t that a lesbian film?” No, it’s not. It’s the story of two young men in love in early part of the 1900s. But that’s the play. We meet one of those young men many years later when he’s in prison and giving his confession. It takes a second to adjust to how this story is presented, because it’s very original. It has excellent cinematography, a shocking story and hot boys. What more can any gay movie fan want?
	4. Another Gay Movie – Gays Gone Wild A treuly all gay movie, this is a no holds barred joke about the sterotypical antics of 4 gay men who go on holiday to fort lauderdale. There is lots of fake sex, gay jokes and if you don’t enjoy the movie you can always look the the obvious and no so obvious advertising. Why not turn it into a drinking game? While a lot of people still fight that this is a awful movie I believe it is awful but still brilliant.
	3. Brokeback Mountain Now that the hype is gone we can evaluate this landmark film based on what’s on the screen, not the impact it had on the mainstream. It still ranks very high and will no doubt be on this list for a long time. It’s a beautiful film and a tremendous love story. Why isn’t it higher? I like subjects that are bigger, and outside of the displays of homophobia and life inside the closet, this film just doesn’t have it. But, it did contribute to a fantastic year in gay films and earned more conversation than any gay film in history. So it doesn’t need me to rank it higher.
	2. American Beauty This movie was an easy winner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. Kevin Spacey plays a middle-age man having a bit of a crisis in his life. His wife is ignoring him, he’s been fired from his job and he’s suddenly experiencing erotic thoughts toward his daughter’s teen-age friend. Not to mention the crazy neighbors, including a gay couple (the only normal people on the street). The gay angle is not obvious for most of the film, but when it hits it is a major turning point. It was written by Alan Ball, who is gay and remains one of the most original films ever.
	1. Shelter Who could not fall in love with shelter? This brilliant film is about two surfers, one still exploring his sexuality and the other openly gay. It is a lovely and touching story of fighting through prejudice to be together. It also has a strong focus on family and the effects of coming out has on a person who relies on you.