The Huffington Post: What Do We Do If The Orlando Shooter Really Was Gay?

Suddenly, instead of simply (or not so simply) blaming the mass shooting on a dizzyingly noxious cocktail of hate, extremism, mental illness and offensively lax gun laws, we now must also grapple with the gruesome and all-too-familiar specter of internalized homophobia materializing to haunt this tragedy.

We don’t know if the shooter was queer (though, that didn’t stop some media outlets from immediately and irresponsibly sensationalizing that claim) and we may never know any of the secrets that may have constantly skittered that long dark hallway between his heart and his head. But, sadly, if he was, it wouldn’t be surprising. A study published in the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that “participants who reported their heterosexuality despite having hidden same-sex desires were also the most likely to show hostility toward gay individuals, including self-reported anti-gay attitudes, endorsement of anti-gay policies and discrimination such as supporting harsher punishments for homosexuals.” [...]

As I write this I’m already having premonitions of the comments awaiting me on social media in response to this piece. I know many people will disagree with me and claim that someone else’s sexual orientation is none of my business or that it’s “private” and — perhaps most shocking to me — that coming out doesn’t matter. But it does matter. We’ve seen time and time again that being exactly who we are without explanation or apology is the greatest weapon we have in changing people’s minds about who we are and what we’re capable of.

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The Guardian: Demolition of Moscow 'workers' villages' raises fears for avant garde heritage

The group of buildings on Pogodinskaya Ulitsa made up one of 26 “workers’ villages” built in the capital during the 1920s in the constructivist style, a Russian architecture movement that combined geometrical shapes, new technologies, and communist ideology.

In 2012, they were included on Moscow’s register of cultural buildings. But last year a government commission gave developers the green light to demolish the buildings and evict the residents of Pogodinskaya. “It is criminal, these are architectural gems,” said Parushina. [...]

The workers’ villages and Melnikov designs are not the only vulnerable constructivist buildings in Moscow. Much of the Russian capital’s early Soviet heritage is disappearing fast.

In another part of Moscow, authorities recently began demolishing another constructivist landmark, the 1929 Taganskaya telephone station. They did so despite public protests, a petition to the Moscow mayor that garnered more than 30,000 signatures and the opposition of leading Russian architects. Even activists were surprised to see how many people took to the streets to defend the building, which was not one of the city’s best-known constructivist monuments.

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Independent: Israel ‘cuts off water supply to West Bank’ during Ramadan

Tens of thousands of Palestinians have reportedly been left without access to safe drinking water during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting, at a time when temperatures can exceed 35C.

The northern city of Jenin, which has a population of more than 40,000, said its water supplies had been cut in half by Mekorot, Israel's national water company. Jenin is home to a refugee camp, established in 1953, which contains 16,000 registered refugees. [...]

A spokesperson for the Israeli government told The Indepedent there is "no truth" in the claims, and said the shortages were down to faulty water lines.

They said: "Several hours ago, COGAT's Civil Administration team have repaired a burst pipe line, which disrupted the water supply to the villages of Marda, Biddya, Jamma'in, Salfit and Tapuach. The water flow has been regulated and is currently up and running. 

"Any effort to connect the disruptions with terror is mistaken and misleading."

Given the failure to develop infrastructures as a result of the unwillingness on behalf of the Palestinians to convene  the Joint Water Committee (JWC), there are problems in the water supply."Mekorot could not be reached for comment.

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The Huffington Post: Bishop Calls Out Homophobia In Religion... And He Isn't Blaming Islam

Robert Lynch, a Catholic bishop with the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL, discussed the tragedy in Orlando committed by gunman Omar Mateen in a blog post Monday.

Lynch noted three points, including the need for stricter gun control laws, whose loopholes allowed Mateen to purchase an AR-15 despite having been on the terror watch list, and a pushback against Islamophobia.

His second point focused on religion — not just Mateen’s religion of Islam — and how it perpetuates bigotry against the LGBT community, which was the target in Sunday’s hate crime. 

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Out: I’m Gay, My Dad is Muslim. We Need to Talk.

Today, reflecting again on these notes as debate wages around me, I realize my impact has been too insignificant. I realize the uniqueness of my story is not that my dad is Muslim and I grew up in small town Iowa, it’s that I came out with the luxury of time and allies in the form of friends and siblings. [...] 

Another young man wrote me to say my video is the first time he heard the words “gay," “Muslim,” and “Palestinian” from the same mouth. He thanked me for making him feel so not alone. What initially made me feel good now makes me feel sick: It’s not acceptable that an agonistic, 30-something, New Yorker who works in advertising is one of a handful of people this young gay Muslim can look to for hope. We need more visibility urgently. [...]

When I spoke with my dad briefly on Sunday night we mutually expressed grief and disgust, but our conversation was limited to the literal act of terrorism, the tragic loss of life, and the horrific ease of getting a gun. Any mention of the LGBT victims was noticeably absent from our chat.

We love each other, we accept one another, but we don’t confront his discomfort with my gayness. He doesn’t ask me who I am dating, and I don't tell him because I’m uncomfortable, too. Even passiveness on such a small scale can no longer go unchecked. 

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The New York Times: The Muslim Silence on Gay Rights

After the attacks in Orlando early Sunday morning, many of my American Muslim friends began posting messages on Facebook about how frustrating it felt to go from the affirming images of the late Muhammad Ali to news of yet another terrorist attack. “He doesn’t represent us,” many wrote. “He can’t call himself a Muslim.” For many American Muslims, this kind of immediate condemnation and social media activism has become the first step in our symbiotic relationship with the news cycle. As the history of fellow minorities has taught us, retaliatory violence, exclusion and even internment are always possible in the American family and it’s best to try to get ahead of the curve. [...]

No religion has a monopoly on homophobia. The track record of exclusion and outright abuse of gay men and women in the name of God is a depressing reality across faiths. But we cannot use those analogies to excuse our own shortcomings. Omar Mateen went on a rampage at a gay club out of hatred he attributed to his faith. He shot and massacred Americans for thriving in their safe space, for being among those they love and were loved by, and he did it during both Ramadan and a Pride Month that epitomizes self-love in the face of hate. The toxic cocktail of gun violence, unchecked mental illness and deranged ideology that propelled the massacre at Pulse is a threat to all Americans. 

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Deutsche Welle: Germany to clamp down on religious polygamy

Justice Minister Heiko Maas has promised to clamp down on polygamy, preventing Muslims in Germany from maintaining multiple marriages. "No one who comes to us has the right to put their cultural roots, or their religious beliefs, above our laws," Maas told Tuesday's edition of "Bild" newspaper. "For that reason multiple marriages cannot be recognized in Germany.

"Though polygamy is already outlawed in Germany, the newspaper alleged that German authorities "often look the other way" if a Muslim migrant brings several wives into the country. [...]

Germany seems to have painted itself into a corner on the issue in 2009, when the marital status law was changed so that religious weddings did not have to be preceded by a state marriage. This was done partly to accommodate immigrants from countries such as Israel and several Muslim countries that do not have an official state marriage system, as well as to bring Germany in line with international standards.

But the measure was strongly criticized at the time by the human rights group Terre des Femmes, which said the alteration meant that, in practice, women were more likely to be left economically dependent on their husbands, since they would not necessarily be entitled to alimony if the marriage failed.

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Chicago Tribune: Sacramento pastor on Orlando shootings: 'The tragedy is that more of them didn't die'

"People say, like: Well, aren't you sad that 50 sodomites died?" Jimenez said, referencing the initial death toll in Orlando, which authorities later clarified included 49 victims plus the gunman. "Here's the problem with that. It's like the equivalent of asking me - what if you asked me: Hey, are you sad that 50 pedophiles were killed today?'

"Um, no, I think that's great. I think that helps society. You know, I think Orlando, Fla., is a little safer tonight."

He added: "The tragedy is that more of them didn't die. The tragedy is - I'm kind of upset that he didn't finish the job!" [...]

He added: "But I will say this: You know, the Bible says that homosexuals should be put to death, in Leviticus 20:13. Obviously, it's not right for somebody to just, you know, shoot up the place, because that's not going through the proper channels. But these people all should have been killed anyway, but they should have been killed through the proper channels.

"As in, they should have been executed by a righteous government that would have tried them, convicted them and saw them executed."

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Business Insider: There is an incredible theory that a Brexit won't actually happen even if the public votes for it

That is because the result of June 23 referendum on Britain's EU membership is not legally binding. Instead, it is merely advisory, and, in theory, could be totally ignored by UK government.

This incredible detail is explained in a new blog post by Financial Times columnist and legal expert David Allen Green.

Green says that no legal provision was included in the EU referendum legislation that requires UK Parliament to act in accordance with the outcome of the EU referendum. [...]

Interestingly, parliament choosing to ignore the British public isn't as unthinkable as conventional wisdom leads us to believe. In fact, according to the BBC, MPs have already discussed the possibility.

Speaking to the BBC earlier this month, an unnamed pro-EU MP said: "We would accept the mandate of the people to leave the EU. But everything after that is negotiable and parliament would have its say. The terms on which we leave are entirely within my remit as a parliamentarian and that is something for me to take a view on."

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Bloomberg: Why Bookies Are Still Pretty Sure Brexit Isn’t Going to Happen

Most of the biggest betting firms and exchanges in the U.K., Ireland and beyond place a 60 percent or better chance on David Cameron averting a so-called Brexit. That’s even after five polls published this week showed the “Leave” side ahead, with the latest survey giving it as much as a 7 percentage-point lead over “Remain.”

“Pollsters ask people what they feel on a particular day; we are predicting what they will actually do on June 23,” said Jamie McKittrick, head of sports trading at Ladbrokes Plc. “Historically, we have seen a late swing to the status quo, especially among the undecideds.” [...]

The key reason for bookies’ confidence is a tendency for undecided voters to swing back to the incumbent as voting day approaches. In the final weeks of the 1995 campaign on Quebec’s independence, polls showed separatists gaining the lead, before a last-minute shift saw them defeated. Similarly, late polls in Scotland in 2014 put independence campaigners ahead, before voters ultimately opted to remain with the U.K.

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