Chick-fil-A’s First Restaurant in the U.K. Is Already Closing

This is some bad news for popular chicken chain Chick-fil-A: less than a month after the fast food company opened its first location in the United Kingdom, it is already closing down.

The British shopping center where the restaurant has its only UK location has been pressured by an LGBTQ rights group called Reading Pride to rethink their decision to allow Chick-fil-A on the premises. And it looks like people behind the Oracle Shopping Center listened.

Chick-fil-A is known for its anti-LGBTQ attitudes, and it looks like some folks in Reading did not want to welcome the franchise to town. To show their feelings, groups protested outside the Oracle Shopping Center in Reading.

In 2017, Chick-fil-A donated over $1 million to anti-LGBTQ groups. The protests caused the shopping center to reverse course and not renew the lease for the restaurant after it had only been in business for a week.

A statement from the shopping center read as follows: “We always look to introduce new concepts for our customers, however, we have decided on this occasion that the right thing to do is to only allow Chick-fil-A to trade with us for the initial six-month pilot period, and not to extend the lease any further.”

Chick-fil-A has about 2,400 locations in the United States. In 2012, said, “We are very much supportive of the family – the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that … We want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families.”

So there’s no mystery where Chick-fil-A stands on this issue, in case you were wondering.

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October 21, 2019

These Historic Images Show That Gay Men and Women Have Always Existed, Just on the Downlow

A guy who goes by the name Father Nathan Monk has been collecting photos of gay couples from the past in an effort to highlight the struggles those people went through in eras when same-sex lovers weren’t allowed to marry or even to be together.

Monk said:

Photo Credit: Facebook,Father Nathan Monk

Take a look at these interesting photos.

1. From the past…

2. In the Navy.

3. Serving their country.

4. On the front steps.

5. A discreet kiss.

6. This one looks very old.

7. In Idaho of all places.

8. Out in public.

9. Clearly in love.

10. World War II era.

11. All dressed up.

12. On the beach.

13. A great photo.

14. I wish I could get a year on this one.

15. From Russia with love.

Love is love!

And it always will be.

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September 4, 2019

A New Study Confirms That No Single ‘Gay Gene’ Controls Sexual Preference

A groundbreaking study recently published confirms that genetics can’t confirm if a person will engage in same-sex sexual behavior. The research showed that there is no single gene that controls sexual preference – instead, some genes play a tiny role in contributing to sexual behavior, with social and environmental factors determining the rest of the outcome. In other words, genes play small a role in sexuality, but there is no “gay gene.”

Researchers studied almost 500,000 people to come up with their results. Study author Ben Neale said, “This is is the largest and most thorough investigation into the genetics of same-sex sexual behavior to date.”

The study analyzed associations between the genes of people and same-sex behavior that the people reported. It’s important to note that these behaviors do not absolutely equate sexual identity. People who reported that they had same-sex encounters could be bisexual, gay, pansexual, etc.

The authors revealed that between 8% and 25% of same-sex sexual behavior in the study could be explained by genetics. The rest could be chalked up to environmental and social factors. Ben Neale said, “I think it underscores that there is an element of biology and it underscores that there’s an element of the environment. And it underscores that this is a natural part of our species.”

The authors of the study worked with LGBTQ advocacy groups to talk about the best way to reveal their work to the public, and they were mindful about what kind of message the results might send. There is still concern about potential backlash, however. Darren Whitfield, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who studies LGBTQ health, said, “These things do have the potential to reinforce homophobia. It can reinforce the idea of any abnormality [connected] to same-sex attraction.”

Whitfield added that it’s important to consider what comes out of these studies and what’s next regarding this type of research. He said, “At the end of the day, we’re still looking for a genetic component for sexual behavior. The question I would have is—why? What is the purpose?”

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June 22, 2019

A Man Offered ‘Free Dad Hugs’ at a Pride Parade and People Loved It

Scott “Howie” Dittman decided to attend the recent Pride Parade in Pittsburgh but didn’t give much thought beyond having a good time that day.

Dittman’s friend Denna was going to the parade with an organization called Free Mom Hugs and Dittman said, “‘well I’m going to go,’ and I hopped on Amazon and grabbed a ‘free dad hugs’ T-shirt. I just thought it would put a smile on people’s faces.”

It’s no surprise that many LGBTQ people are ostracized by their families because of their lifestyle. And, as Dittman realized, a hug goes a long way for people whose parents are no longer in their lives through no fault of their own.

He said, “You could tell they hadn’t had something as simple as a hug from their dad in a long time. That broke my heart.”

Dittman hugged a lot of people at the Pride Parade, and he shared this post on Facebook detailing two of his more moving encounters that day.

Dittman’s post went viral and he said he’s received more than 1,500 messages from strangers who were incredibly moved by the story, including some parents. He said, “I’ve had so many parents reach out to me saying they’ve been crying for days, saying they’ve been those parents, and they’ve reached out to their children they haven’t talked to in years. How do even describe that?” he said. “How do you even describe the feeling that gives you?”

Dittman added, “It’s humbling, but it’s sad. It’s sad that these people needed a stupid social media post to have eyes opened and to feel welcomed. It’s sad that some guy in some small town western Pennsylvania is having that much of an impact when that impact should’ve been made and when they shouldn’t have even needed it because they weren’t abandoned in the first place.”

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April 27, 2019

15 States Where It’s Actually Legal to Fire Someone Just for Being LGBTQ

Believe it or not, there are still places in the United States – in 2019! – where there are no protections in place keeping gay people from being fired from their jobs for simply being who they are.

These 15 states below offer no protection at all for LGBT people from being terminated from employment.

All of the statistics below come from the Movement Advancement Project.

1. Texas

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Texas: 873,454

2. Arkansas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Arkansas: 76,251

3. North Carolina

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in North Carolina: 323,319

4. South Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in South Dakota: 19,939

5. Wyoming

Photo Credit: GoodFreePhotos

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Wyoming: 14,618

6. Mississippi

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Mississippi: 79,814

7. North Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in North Dakota: 15,697

8. West Virginia

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in West Virginia: 57,667

9. Virginia

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Virginia: 259,268

10. Missouri

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Missouri: 180,486

11. Kansas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Kansas: 72,783

12. Louisiana

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Louisiana: 138,998

13. South Carolina

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in South Carolina: 139,236

14. Nebraska

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Nebraska: 55,192

15. Oklahoma

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Estimated number of LGBTQ adults living in Oklahoma: 113,491

Here is a complete list of local non-discrimination ordinances across the U.S.

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August 14, 2018

A Man Found an Amazing Collection of LGBTQ Artifacts Stashed Away in a Loft

When Gavin McGregor discovered two bags stashed away in his London loft, he didn’t think much about it until he took a much closer look. When he finally searched through the bags, he found that he’d stumbled upon a treasure trove of LGBTQ artifacts from the 1980s.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor quickly realized that he had a significant time capsule of the LGBTQ scene.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And the second bag contained even more impressive finds.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor also found the manuscript of a novel and tried to get in touch with the writer.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Bill Albert replied that he had submitted his novel to a short-lived publishing company that was run by two people: one now lived in South Africa and the other was Paud Hegarty, who had died from AIDS nearly 20 years ago. McGregor thought that the deceased Paud Hegarty might have been the man behind the artifact collection.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor decided to donate the collection to Gay’s The Word to honor Hegarty’s legacy.

Photo Credit: Twitter

McGregor said, “I’ve received fascinating, moving, personal memories and stories from a range of people already, telling stories and sharing memories.” What a great story.

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July 23, 2018

Activists Get Around Russia’s Anti-Gay Laws in a Very Clever Way

With the World Cup in Russia this summer, people from all over the world flocked there to support their countries and travel. And that means people from all backgrounds. One thing about Russia: it’s illegal to fly the rainbow pride flag there. But some very clever activists found a way to fly the pride flag all over Moscow.