John Barrowman's Gay Kiss To Countries That Criminalise Homosexuality
John Barrowman kissed a man last night in a calculated dig at the 42 Commonwealth states that criminalize homosexuality
Ian Walton
Well, this is certainly a new perspective on the Glasgow kiss.
The gay Scottish-American actor John Barrowman kissed another man on live TV last night during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games as the Queen looked on.
Mr Barrowman, who married his partner, the architect Scott Gill, last year in California, made his gesture at the opening of the games in Glasgow which are open to all members of the Commonwealth, the voluntary grouping of former British empire dominions, which includes Canada and Australia (but not America).
Homosexual activity remains a criminal offence, often with draconian punishment, in 40 of the 53 countries within the Commonwealth, including Uganda, Nigeria, and Jamaica.
Millions of citizens and politicians in those countries were watching last night’s event.
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During the first few minutes of the opening ceremony, Barrowman kissed a man waiting at the aisle for him before the pair skipped away hand in hand, in tribute to Scottish wedding venue Gretna Green.
The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, but we’ll let the tweets speak for themselves…
The opening ceremony of the @Glasgow2014 games begin with openly lesbian Karen Dunbar and openly gay John Barrowman. #lgbti
— Equality Network (@LGBTIScotland) July 23, 2014That's John Barrowman. Considered a criminal in most Commonwealth countries.
— Paul Sinha (@paulsinha) July 23, 2014So this just happened 😍 @Team_Barrowman kisses a Scottish hottie #equality #CommonwealthGames 🌈 pic.twitter.com/K6uoX2gCjx
— Wolfgang Schmitt (@Golden_Gaytime) July 23, 2014. @BobAshby @tootsdeville @thecgf you will never get rid of me:) enjoy the night don't be an asshole. celebrate Scotland. Jb
— John Barrowman News (@Team_Barrowman) July 23, 2014Loved John Barrowman's kiss at the #Glasgow2014 #CommonwealthGames opening ceremony? Here's why it matters: pic.twitter.com/kbxMrlM7Iw
— Stonewall (@stonewalluk) July 24, 2014See more of our coverage in your search results.
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