15 Mar 2010- Sweden- SL, the Stockholm local transport authority, has been asked by the Swedish discrimination ombudsman (DO) to provide adequate compensation to a gay man after he was instructed to leave a bus by a local driver.

The man was on his way to his home near Taby when he boarded the vehicle outside of Danderyd hospital. It was then that the driver was alleged to have confronted the man with the offensive comments, including asking the passenger: “Do you think it is fun that I can see your panties?”

According to The Local the man’s report to the discrimination ombudsman explained that, no, he was not wearing panties, but rather his male drawers could be noticed at the top of his waistline. This explanation was apparently not sufficient for the bus driver who then reclined and stated: “In fact, you best leave the bus as I could get turned on”.

The man, although angered and shocked at the driver’s antics, boarded the bus and took a seat near the back. After five minutes had passed the bus had not moved, leading the man to suspect that he may be being held responsible for the delay. It was then that two security guards climbed aboard and instructed the man to accompany them to the pavement, where he was told that he was lucky the departing driver did not take the matter further.

Sexually harassed, ridiculed and offended, the man took his story to local media and even his mother attempted to liaise with the manager of the Busslink bus station. She was offered a potted plant and movie tickets. DO found that the man was entitled to compensation, the amount of which could be decided under agreement by both parties before a court hearing.

Gambia row over wave of arrests

11 Mar 2010- Gambia- An opposition leader has criticised a wave of arrests in The Gambia, saying detainees - including a former minister - do not know why they are being held.

Halifa Sallah told the BBC that those arrested have been denied visits from lawyers and family members. High-ranking military and police officials are reportedly among those detained, and last week ex-fisheries minister Antouman Saho was jailed.

President Yahya Jammeh is frequently criticised by rights groups. In recent years, he has publicly threatened to kill gay people and rights workers.

Last month the government of Mr Jammeh, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1994, expelled the envoy of the UN's children charity, Unicef.

No reasons given

Mr Saho, who served in Mr Jammeh's government from 1994 until he was sacked last month, was taken from his home on Friday night.

Police said he was wanted for questioning by intelligence officials. His family has not been able to contact him since and no official reason has been given for his arrest.

"According to our constitution, within three hours of an arrest the person should be told why he or she has been arrested," Mr Sallah told the BBC's Network Africa programme.

He said relatives of people arrested as far back as October had told him they had not been able to contact their detained family members.

He said those arrested in the more recent wave of arrests were in the same situation. "We've still been unable to establish why they've been arrested, and as it stands there is only speculation," he added.

Mr Sallah, of the National Alliance for Democracy, has himself been arrested several times in recent years.

11 Mar 2010- Jeddah, Saudi Arabia- A 27-year-old man who was arrested in January on three charges, including homosexuality, was sentenced to one year in prison and 1,000 lashes and fined SR5,000, local media reported on Wednesday.

The man, who has not been named by officials, was arrested in January after a video was widely viewed locally. Rumors began circulating as to the origins of the video and the background of the man depicted in it, causing local police to release a statement this week confirming the arrest.

The video depicts a man with long hair dressed in a police uniform flirting with the man filming him. He asks for the cameraman’s driver’s license, then demands “physical comfort” after saying the license is expired. At one point the man displays a firearm.

Toward the end of the two-and-a-half minute clip, the man begins to partially undress and rub his chest to the sound of club music emanating from the car stereo.

He was charged with impersonating a police officer, committing a “general security” offense and being homosexual.

The man had previously been charged with homosexuality and was sentenced to counseling and memorizing a chapter of the Qur’an.

Thousands Protest Portugal's Upcoming Gay Marriage Law

21 Feb 2010- Portugal- Thousands of Portuguese poured onto the streets of Lisbon Sunday in protest of a gay marriage law currently seeking the president's approval, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.

Organizers estimated the event, called “in defense of the family,” attracted a crowd of 5,000, but no official figures were reported.

Demonstrators marched down Lisbon's main downtown artery Av. da Liberdade (Liberty Avenue) calling on President Anibal Cavaco Silva to reject a gay marriage law approved twice by lawmakers. Silva is a Roman Catholic and a member of the PSD party, groups which oppose the legalization of gay marriage, and he has publicly stated his opposition to gay marriage.

However, Silva has several options before him, including vetoing the bill. Commentators in the Portuguese press have speculated he could forward the issue to the Constitutional Court. Last year, despite the fact that Portugal's Constitution outlaws discrimination based on sexual orientation, the court denied a lesbian couple the right to marry in a narrow 3-to-2 decision. The ruling prompted Socialists to draft the gay marriage bill.

Protesters are also demanding a referendum on gay marriage, although Parliamentarians have already rejected such a measure.

Portugal's Parliament approved the bill on February 11 and forwarded it to the president. Under the bill, gay and lesbian couples would be allowed to marry but not adopt children.

Cavaco Silva has a week left to decide what to do with the bill. Supporters, however, say a veto would only delay the legislation. The Socialist-controlled Parliament, led by Prime Minister Jose Socrates, is prepared to overturn a presidential veto.

The Vatican condemned the legalization of gay marriage in neighboring Spain in 2005 and has called for the ouster of Socialists in the country, but the church's opposition in Portugal has been muted. However, Pope Benedict is widely expected to criticize the bill when he visits Portugal in May.

Gay marriage is legal in five European counties, including Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway and, most recently, Sweden.

No gay marriage for Albania

05 Feb 2010- Albania- Gay rights advocates in Albania are welcoming the partial victory of an antidiscrimination law parliament passed Thursday. The law includes protections for LGBT people, but it drops a provision to legalize same-sex marriage that drew international attention this past summer.

According to Reuters, “The bill guarantees citizens against discrimination on grounds of gender, race, color, ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation, but has widely come to be known in Albania as the gay law because of the publicity [Prime Minister Sali] Berisha gave their cause.”

Religious groups successfully lobbied against the proposal to recognize same-sex marriage as part of the law, however.

“Approved by the ruling Democratic Party and its allies in parliament late on Thursday, the law does not allow same-sex marriage as promised by Prime Minister Sali Berisha,” reports Reuters. "Muslim, Orthodox and Catholic communities condemned the idea.”

The Alliance Against Discrimination, an Albanian gay rights group, hailed the antidiscrimination law as a strong start despite the loss of the marriage equality provision.

“This law is not simply a fulfillment of requirements that Albania has undertaken for European Union integration and visa liberalization,” said a statement issued by the group. “Above all, it is a victory for democracy and for human rights for all Albanians.”

31 Jan 2010- Northern Ireland- An openly gay bishop in Northern Ireland has announced he will marry his long-term partner in a civil union.

Pat Buckley, 57, is an unaffiliated Catholic bishop. He will exchange vows with his male partner on February 8 in the same chapel where he celebrates mass twice a week, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

The Catholic Church excommunicated Buckley in 1998 when he received an unauthorized episcopal consecration as a bishop from Bishop Michael Cox, the man who had also ‘ordained’ Sinead O’Connor, the Telegraph reported. In 2006 he published a book called “A sexual life, a spiritual life: a painful journey to inner peace.”

Buckley became a Catholic priest in 1976 and was sacked from the priesthood in 1986. He has conducted an independent ministry in Larne, Northern Ireland, ever since, along with a team of helpers and other disenchanted priests who are no longer formally part of the Church, one of whom is married.

On his website Buckley asserts that he “has a long established ministry to the gay and lesbian community,” adding that he believes “homosexuality is not sinful in the context of love. Sex is only sinful when it is about use or abuse.”

He also says, “Sex is good. It is God's gift. It even allows men and women to share in God's role as Creator. That's why we pro-create. Sex is only wrong, immoral and sinful if it hurts someone or if it is used to use or abuse.” Buckley concludes, “A sexually active life (in love) is as pleasing in God's sight as celibacy / virginity.”

Buckley told the Telegraph he had not expected his announcement to attract such publicity, and said his partner wants their relationship to remain private. “I did not realise that this was going to come out and I would prefer not to talk about it at the moment,” he said.

Couple set for 'gay' marriage legal battle

20 Jan 2010- London, England - A straight couple battling to have a "gay" civil partnership in the name of equality are taking their case to the highest court in Europe.

Civil servants Tom Freeman and Katherine Doyle, of North Road, Holloway, are to sue Islington Council after being turned down for a "gay marriage" last November.

The couple, who have been together almost four years, feel "alienated from the patriarchal traditions of marriage" but are banned from having a civil partnership under UK law because they are heterosexual.

Now they are searching for another straight couple and two gay couples to back their stance as they prepare to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Mr Freeman, 25, said: "We're looking for two gay couples and one straight couple who want the ceremonies they are not entitled to by law, and are prepared to join our legal battle, preferably in Islington.

"That's quite a tall order but it will take five years for the case to be heard and we're in it for the long haul.

"It's standard practice to stack the appellants up like this to strengthen the case. We're hopeful we'll be able to get the law changed."

Ms Doyle, also 25, added: "We object to the way same-sex couples are prohibited from getting married. We don't want to take advantage of marriage when it is an option that is denied to our lesbian and gay friends."

The couple have the backing of Peter Tatchell, founder of gay rights group OutRage!

Last week they met Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry, who has vowed to raise the issue in Parliament.

Ms Thornberry said: "I support them. I can see no reason why they can't have a civil partnership and gay people can't get married."

The couple hope to be represented by "a prominent human rights lawyer" who has offered to work for free on a "no win, no fee" basis.

Terry Stacy, Liberal Democrat leader of Islington Council, who has himself had a civil partnership, has backed the couple's stance but says the local authority has no choice but to bow to national UK law.

Minister announces gay parade for 2010

18 Jan 2010- Belgrade- Minister for Human and Minority Rights Svetozar Čiplić announced that a gay pride parade will be held this year.

“We already met with the representatives of gay associations and the plan is to prepare the public and the organizers themselves in time,” Čiplić said for the Monday edition of the daily Večernje Novosti.

He assessed that the organizers made a mistake in 2009 when they did not agree to holding the gathering in front of the Palace of Serbia.

“Only the hooligans would have lost in that case,” Minister Čiplić said.

The organizers of the pride parade, which was supposed to take place on September 19, 2009 at the square in front of the Faculty of Philosophy in downtown Belgrade, canceled it due to safety concerns after several right-wing organizations and extremist sports fan groups threatened to physically prevent the gathering.

Despite the risks, the Serbian government allowed the parade to be held, and advised the organizers to move it to the Palace of Serbia, which they refused.

West turns Africa into gay battlefield

17 Jan 2010- The trial of a young male couple charged with unnatural practices and gross indecency after announcing their engagement in Malawi was adjourned last week when one of the accused collapsed in court while enduring jeers from the public gallery.

Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, was made to return with a mop to clean up his own vomit, even though he has malaria.

He and his boyfriend, Steven Monjeza, 26, have been held in Chichiri prison, Blantyre, for more than a week — in order, the judge says, to protect them from mob violence.

Chichiri has a reputation for overcrowding, disease and homosexual rape. The couple say they have been badly beaten and Peter Tatchell, the British gay activist, describes their conditions as appalling.

Such scenes will only increase the pressure from western human rights activists and donor countries on Malawi’s government to moderate its draconian anti-gay laws, for which the couple have provided a test case. They face up to 14 years in jail.

Following similar donor pressure, President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda distanced himself from an anti-homosexuality bill before parliament in Kampala last week. Museveni appealed to MPs to “go slow” on the private member’s bill, which stipulates the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality”, including homosexual acts by HIV-positive men.

Museveni said he had come under pressure from Gordon Brown, Stephen Harper, the prime minister of Canada, and the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, in a 45-minute phone call. He was also struck by the fact that a US protest rally had drawn 300,000 people, saying he would have great difficulty attracting such a crowd.

The two cases illustrate the way Africa is becoming a battleground over differing attitudes to homosexuality in the West.

Both sides accuse the other of being driven by external influences: gay rights campaigners say conservative American evangelists are encouraging homophobia, while the anti-gay side insists that homosexuality is only surfacing openly in Africa because of western encouragement.

Some argue that the African rows over homosexuality are really a proxy skirmish in an American cultural dispute, with both evangelicals and gay rights groups in the US pouring in money and support.

In Uganda, attention has focused on a visit by three US evangelicals, Scott Lively, Caleb Lee Brundidge and Don Schmierer, just before the anti-homosexuality bill was introduced. They held seminars for MPs and officials where homosexuality was described as a disease that could be healed, although they have subsequently disclaimed any responsibility for the bill.

Lively, the president of Defend the Family International, told Ugandans that legalising homosexuality would mean legalising “the molestation of children and having sex with animals”.

Schmierer works with “homosexual recovery groups”, while Brundidge, who claims once to have been gay himself, works with the International Healing Foundation as a “sexual reorientation coach”. He also leads Christian groups to mortuaries where they attempt to raise the dead.

Gay activists have placed on the web a video of Lively telling a Ugandan audience that he “knows more than almost anyone else in the world” about homosexuality. He says that the genocide in Rwanda was carried out by gays, that Aids is a just punishment for homosexuality and that foreigners are trying to promote homosexuality in Uganda.

Museveni has warned Ugandan youth that homosexuality is against God’s will and that “European homosexuals are recruiting in Africa”.

His minister for ethics, Nsaba Buturo, says homosexuality is a “moral perversion that must not be allowed to spread”.

Ugandas churches are themselves strongly homophobic — Archbishop Henry Orombi and Pastor Martin Sempe have been leading a campaign in support of the bill.

The Church of Uganda is vehemently against gay clergymen and when retired bishop Christopher Senyonjo preached tolerance towards homosexuals in 2005, Orombi stripped him of his pension.

A similar pattern is found in Malawi. George Thindwa, director of the Association of Secular Humanism, who is attempting to help the arrested gay couple, said “the churches are definitely spearheading the anti-gay campaign here”. He said Malawi was often visited by foreign evangelists, though he thought the local clergy needed little encouragement in their homophobia.

Pastor Mario Manyozo, of Malawi’s Word of Life Tabernacle Church, says “homosexuality is against God’s creation and is an evil act since gays are possessed with demons”. Similar sentiments are echoed by many churchmen, based on the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Pastor Joseph Mbeme, of Malawi’s Ambassadors for Christ Church, says the church must pray for homosexuality to be stamped out.

Thindwa points out that 83% of Malawians are Christians and another 13% are Muslims — and that Islamic law is even more hostile to gays. In Muslim northern Nigeria the penalty for homosexuality is stoning to death.

The claim that western influence is encouraging homosexuality is common. Some wealthy westerners are accused of sex tourism and paedophilia.

Peter Atekyereza, a sociology professor at Makerere University in Uganda, said “external influence is definitely behind the spread of homosexuality”. He said international organisations had been giving “scholarships and hand-outs in an attempt to recruit young people to homosexuality”.

Many Africans echo President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe, who calls gays “sexual perverts — lower than dogs or pigs”, and who claims that homosexuality is “unAfrican” — “leave whites to do that,” he has said. There have even been assertions that homosexuality did not exist in Africa until the white man imported it.

Last year nine Senegalese gay activists were jailed for eight years after coming out. This followed an international Aids conference attended by 50 foreign activists who stressed the need for gays to be dealt with openly.

Uganda expelled the local director of UNAIDS, the United Nations programme on HIV and Aids, for organising a meeting with Ugandan gay activists. The US and Sweden, both big donors, have threatened to cut off aid if the anti-homosexuality bill is not moderated.

An anguished editorial in The Uganda Record accused the West of trying to bully Africans into homosexuality. “To Africans this is an almost existential matter. Their very future as societies is at stake.”

16 Jan 2010- London, England- It's all a far cry from the fusty respectability of Michael Fish and Bill Giles. But this is current BBC weather presenter Tomasz Schafernaker as you have never seen him before.

He shocked corporation bosses after he turned up in a gay magazine in a pair of skimpy shorts. It is understood that while someone at the Met Office had been informed of the article, BBC bosses were completely unaware.

The first thing they knew was when they were told by readers of Attitude magazine about the pictures of the toned-up meteorologist.

Mr Schafernaker's makeover stunned staff who were unaware of his impressive physique, which is usually kept well-hidden under his suit. 

A weather centre insider said it was a question of 'minor hot water' for not informing the corporation of the magazine article.

The source said: 'Eyebrows were raised big time. You have to look to see that it is him. The boy was transformed into a swan.

'Let's just say that everyone is seeing Tomasz in a different light now. But we are worried that when people are watching the weather when Tomasz presents they will not be able to concentrate on watching the symbols.'

Attitude features both straight and gay men in the magazine. Mr Schafernaker appeared as the cover star of Attitude Active, the health special which came with this month's magazine.

The article said that underneath his suits and shirts sported on TV, lay the secret - 'Tomasz Schafernaker is ripped'. It also said 'undressed he is the specimen you see before you, all pecs and ripped abs.'

The Polish-born presenter, 31, usually fronts the weather reports on The One O'Clock News and has appeared across the BBC networks.

He famously had to apologise in 2007 when on BBC1 he referred to the Outer Hebrides and Western Isles as 'nowheresville' 

Last summer on Radio 4 Schafernaker jumbled his words and accidentally said 'muddy shite' for Glastonbury instead of 'muddy site'.

He then giggled on and off throughout the rest of the forecast. In his interview with the magazine he told Attitude Active: 'I get myself into trouble every now and then but the producers are very forgiving and I thank them for it. I love working with the team.'

Schafernaker was born in Gdansk but came to the UK as a child.

On the BBC's weather website is is said that he developed a 'keen interest' in weather and the natural sciences at a young age 'despite his strongest abilities in the arts and crafts'.

He obtained a degree in meteorology from Reading University. During his studies he spent a short time at Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences analysing tropical weather data. 

The presenter joined the BBC in 2000 as a broadcast assistant and months later got his first go at presenting at the age of 22. This made him the youngest man to present on BBC Weather. 

He gained more experience by working as a civil forecaster for a year at Met Office London as well as ITV before returning to the BBC.

According to the BBC website he lives in west London with his two housemates and enjoys jogging and his local gym.

11 Jan 2010- Matuba Mahlatjie is gay, African and married, which is unheard of outside liberal South Africa, because the continent's governments are clamping down on homosexuality.

Gay pride parades, same-sex marriages and the famously gay-friendly city of Cape Town puts South Africa way ahead of countries such as nearby Malawi, where a gay couple was thrown in jail this month for trying to marry.

But scratch the surface and sexual intolerance and hate crimes still riddle the continent's powerhouse.

"We still have hate crimes perpetrated against gay and lesbian people in our communities. The legalisation of same-sex unions did not make our life any easier," said Mahlatjie, who feels gays are still "under siege" in the country.

Across Africa governments are laying down the law against homosexuality and 38 out of 53 countries have criminalised consensual gay sex, in what Human Rights Watch says is a method of "political manipulation".

Uganda has been criticised for the tabling of a bill against the "sinful lifestyle" that would toughen penalties for gays and also punish anyone who "promotes" homosexuality.

In Malawi, where discussing sex is taboo, the attempt by the gay couple to get married was labeled a matter of "gross indecency". A judge is expected to decide next week whether they will face trial.

In Nigeria, northern Muslim states have the death penalty for homosexuality, while anti-gay incidents have flared in Senegal, where the bodies of homosexual men have been exhumed and tossed out of Muslim cemeteries.

Scott Long, Human Rights Watch's director for gay rights issues, says that anti-gay sentiment in Africa rose steeply about 15 years ago when the Zimbabwean president, Robert Mugabe, started "manipulating the issue for political gain".

Mugabe, who has called gays "worse than dogs and pigs", latched on to the issue to "distract attention from economic and political crises and shore up political support," Long said.

"It was very successful in bringing together different groups," said Long, adding that this trend had spread across the continent to countries such as Nigeria, where the issue has proved a rare unifier among the Muslim north and Christian south.

Mahlatjie says that even in liberal South Africa, legal protection has not made way for social acceptance.

"It is difficult everywhere. We have white South Africans disowned by families because they are gay. We have black lesbian women raped and battered by people in their neighbourhood in a bid to 'cure' them."

South Africa's post-apartheid constitution ensures equal rights for homosexuals, but the government was forced by the courts into recognising same-sex marriage with a 2006 law, after months of protests by the gay community and thousands of its opponents.

Unlike many homosexuals Africans, Mahlatjie says he was never forced to take a girlfriend to conform to societal expectations, but "my wedding band shocked a lot of people".

While South Africa now has a prominent homosexual judge on its constitutional court, President Jacob Zuma was forced to apologise in 2006 for saying that same-sex marriages were "a disgrace to the nation and to God".

South Africa was "not necessarily more advanced than the rest of Africa," said Dawie Nel, director of the gay rights group OUT. He said it's "still a very homophobic society".

08 Jan 2010- Lisbon - The Portuguese parliament on Friday passed the Socialist government's bill to legalise same-sex marriages, which Prime Minister Jose Socrates said was an historic step in the country's fight against discrimination.

Socrates' minority government pushed the bill through the house with support from left wing parties, while alternative proposals by the centre-right opposition for civil partnerships and a referendum on the issue were rejected.

"It is a small change in the law, but a very important and symbolic step to fully realise values that are pillars of open, tolerant and democratic societies; freedom, equality and non-discrimination," Socrates told parliament ahead of the vote.

The bill gives gay marriages the same rights as heterosexual marriages, including those on taxes, inheritance and housing, but does not offer them the right to adopt children.

CHURCH WARNING

It marks another modernising step for this predominantly Catholic country, especially after abortion was legalised in 2007. But the Catholic Church warned against the move.

"Millenary culture deems marriage as a contract between a man and a woman. Changing this understanding of what is a family can have extremely grave consequences in the future," said Bishop Dom Jose Policarpo, Lisbon patriarch.

The bill now needs to be ratified by conservative President Anibal Cavaco Silva. If he approves it, Portugal will join Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, South Africa and Canada in allowing gay marriages, all of which allow gay married couples to adopt children as well.

Gay and lesbian hopes had been dented by the rejection of the Left Bloc party's gay marriage bill and by a Constitutional Court upholding a ban last year.

CHAMPAGNE AND WEDDING CAKE

Friday's bill prompted celebration by around 70 supporters in the house, who cheered when the result was announced. They continued outside, drinking champagne and cutting wedding cakes.

"We are talking of a state which repressed, harassed and criminalised relationships between people of the same sex, and that same state today affirms that they have equal recognition and dignity in law," said Paulo Corte-Real, head of ILGA, one of Portugal's largest gay and lesbian organisations.

But the Left Bloc and the Green Party, who supported the bill, criticised the government for leaving out adoption rights. "The government has given itself a mandate to discriminate," said Left Bloc parliamentary leader Jose Pureza.

"Adoption is different from marriage. In adoption, what is at stake is not the rights of free and adult people, but the interest of the children the state must protect," Socrates said.

02 Jan 2010- London, England- BBC newsreader Jane Hill has made the headlines herself - after revealing she is gay.

Jane, who read the Christmas Day lunchtime bulletins, outed herself in the Beeb's in-house magazine, Ariel.

The 40-year-old anchor revealed she lives with partner of one year Sara and their dog Mavis in North London.

A colleague said: "Everyone has known for years that Jane is gay.

"She hasn't made a secret of it at the BBC and although she has had other girlfriends over the years, this one seems to be the one."

Jane, a regular on BBC1 and News 24, has also dated men. She once went out with Strictly Come Dancing winner Chris Hollins. The pair, who split up some years ago, remain friends.

Her BBC career started on local radio at the age of 16. After completing a politics degree she got on to the corporation's news trainee scheme, later working as a producer on Five Live before moving into television.

She has reported on many high profile stories, including 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and Barack Obama's inauguration.

But, she says her hardest job was the Madeleine McCann case.

"I was there the day after she disappeared and ended up being there for the whole of May," she told Ariel.

"It was emotionally draining, that lack of resolution. I'm not a parent but I don't need to be one to know how absolutely horrific it must be."

Rwanda: Church Condemns Election of Openly Gay Bishop

11 Dec 2009- Kigali — The Archbishop of the Church of Rwanda, Rt. Rev. Emmanuela Kolini has strongly criticized and condemned the decision of an Anglican diocese in the United States of America to elect an openly gay clergy as the bishop of Diocese of Los Angeles.

In a close-to-call election that took seven ballots, the Diocese of Los Angeles elected an avowed lesbian, Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool to be the next Bishop of the diocese, setting off another storm around the Anglican community six years after the election of Gene Robinson, a non-celibate homosexual, as the Bishop of New Hampshire.

Speaking to The New Times, Kolini condemned the election and said the fact that Mary is a lesbian was against the will of God to place such a person in position of religious leadership.

"I condemn not only the act of electing Glasspool to the position, but also lesbianism as an act against the will of God," Kolini said, adding that it only contributes to divisions in the global Anglican society.

The election of Rev. Canon Mary Douglas Glasspool, 55, has created a theological rift between The Episcopal Church of America and the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide.

According to Kolini, placing such a person in a position of leadership makes it worse because she will only give wrong directives to the society.

"God did not plan the creation of different sex for enjoyment, he had a plan, he wanted man to multiply and feel the world."

Glasspool is one of only two women to be appointed the position of Bishop in Los Angeles in over 100 years, and is also the first gay woman.

The American church set off a debate within the world Communion when it confirmed Robinson as bishop-elect of the Diocese of New Hampshire.

Anglican bishops in Africa, Asia and Latin America condemned the vote, with some threatening to sever ties with the U.S. church.

Robinson, a 56-year-old divorced father of two, has lived with his partner, Mark Andrew, for more than 15 years.

Gay British soldier talks about coming out to his comrades

11 Dec 2009- UK- An openly gay soldier in Afghanistan has spoken about the support and acceptance he has received from his comrades.

Trooper Ben Rakestrow, said that since he came out to his squadron a year ago he has faced nothing but harmless banter from his fellow soldiers.

The 21-year-old, who serves with 2nd Royal Tank Regiment (2RTR), said it was difficult to reveal his sexuality in such a high-testosterone environment. "It was difficult to start with," he said. "I didn't know how they'd react."

Rakestrow, from Exeter, Devon, who today completes a six-month operational tour in Helmand province, had already come out to his family and close friends. He decided to come out to his comrades after a night out midway through a training exercise on Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire.

Rakestrow, who serves with Egypt squadron, 2RTR, had been out at a nightclub with a friend who knew he was gay. The next morning his colleagues started asking questions.

"The next morning I arrived for the exercise late, because we'd had a bit to drink," he said. "The lads all asked if we'd had any luck, then at least our late arrival would have been worth it. I just said, 'His name was Ryan'. Some of their faces dropped, and asked if I was serious. They couldn't believe it."

The army hasn't always been so accepting. In 1999, the year before the ban on gay personnel was lifted, 298 people were discharged for their sexuality.

But in 2000 a legal victory, fought for by three gay men and a lesbian, who had been discharged from the Royal Navy and RAF after being found to be gay, paved the way for openly gay servicemen and women.

British servicemen and women now march at Gay Pride in uniform.

Earlier this year the then head of the British army, General Sir Richard Dannatt, became the first army chief to address a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender conference. "Respect for others is not an optional extra," he said.

Rakestrow believes he made the right decision to come out to his comrades and said the men have treated him as an equal since he disclosed his sexuality.

He said: "I get banter from them all the time, but it's good banter. They all want to know about my life, they ask a lot of questions, you can imagine. I don't find it hard to talk about it."

Rakestrow said he would advise gay men or women unsure about coming out to their colleagues to talk to close friends. "Talk about it with them and then if you're confident tell your mates. But the important thing is to tell them when it feels right."

The trooper said he did not fit any gay stereotypes, although he admits to having a pink quilt cover decorated with a picture of heartthrob actor Zac Ephron in the squadron's temporary digs and a copy of Attitude magazine often in his rucksack. He also said he would be wary of starting a relationship with another soldier.

"I always said I wouldn't let my personal life clash with my professional life," he said. "I've got to work with these guys every day."

Rakestrow ‑ who has witnessed the bloody violence of conflict at first hand ‑ has received the highest praise from senior officers. He was in the same convoy as Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe when the commanding officer was killed in an explosion, along with his fellow 2RTR comrade Trooper Joshua Hammond, aged 18.

"I was right at the back, there was not a lot I could do. It was terrible," he said. "When something like that happens, I just think, let's get the job done. We get the job done and we reflect on it later."

A confidential review across the army, navy and air force two years after the ban on gay personnel was lifted found that the majority of officers and junior ranks, particularly younger servicemen and women, had accepted the ruling. But there was evidence of resistance among older senior non-commissioned and warrant officers.

Stonewall estimates that the number of gay servicemen and women reflects the national average of 8%, putting the figure at approximately 14,000 personnel, although the army does not keep official figures. According to a survey conducted by the website proud2serve, a resource network for the gay and straight military community, two-thirds of respondents were open about their sexuality.

10 Dec 2009- The New York senate may have voted down marriage and the New Jersey senate has delayed their vote. But there is positive news today coming from Europe.

The Austrian parliament voted today to allow civil unions. The law goes into effect on Jan. 1.

The law will give same-sex couples many of the same rights as married couples including alimony and pension benefits.

The bill passed 110-64. The right-wing Freedom Party rejected the legislation for going too far and the Greens said it didn’t go far enough. Austria is considered one of the more conservative countries in the European Union.

Although same-sex couples will gain parity in financial areas including taxation, certain rights will be denied. Gay and lesbian couples will not have access to adoption and insemination services and will not be allowed a ceremony at registry offices.

Being gay and HIV in Middle East

01 Dec 2009- I live in the Middle East and having to walk into seeing a doctor if you are HIV positive would be asking for your death penalty.

I contracted HIV when I was live and studying in UK, but still had to come back to the Middle East. I then realized that you could not easily go for a check up just incase they realized I was HIV positive.

So I usually go back to the UK just to have my check ups and get my treatment out there. The same with the medication I’m on, I have to find a way of brining that medicine here as you are aware Middle East is not liberal when it comes to human rights. 

There are a lot of people living with HIV in this country but they would rather not go to the hospitals here.

What normally happen is that, if you test positive, the very doctor that gives you your results will also inform the government.   So within a short period of time you are condemned and what follows is that they have to find out else you have infected.

After all this, they follow all your movements , eventually your friends even stop visiting you because everyone of them that visits you, is taken in for questioning so as a result of that no one wants to even visit you. The government basically takes over your life, that’s if they don’t make you disappear.

This will not change now, the culture here is far too different from the western, so if we are looking at change and acknowledging that our own people here have HIV, it will sound like we are accepting the western laws, which I’m sure you all know that the middle east will never accept.

So every time the world recognizes World Aids Day, we miss out, we always hope that there will be time, when countries within Middle East will accept that people with HIV and Aids can still live amongst them. To be able to freely go to the hospital or the clinic to have an HIV test voluntarily and trusting the doctor, to talk to you about it without letting you sign so many documents regarding your health.

A lot of rich Arabs in these countries fly far away to just get their treatment or their check ups. Even in the very government that’s against it all, there are leaders that are HIV too, but they will not just admit it and will always keep it that way.

This even makes it hard, if some of these leaders will never disclose their health or sexuality, as part of the public, I would not survive, if I spoke about it. The laws are too tight here, as for our women, they are even treated badly when it comes to adultery, and I honestly think it should be the same with men, because the majority of those that are HIV positive in Middle East are men.

For us, World Aids Day is not only recognizing and being aware about HIV and Aids, it’s more about hope that our government would be considerate and be liberal about people that suffer with the illness. That time will come, the only worry we have is that how many lives would we have saved or treated before the government comes to realize it.
 

Report by Ndanji

Bare-backing  in the gay world

01 Dec 2009- It’s becoming very much normal everyday to have unprotected sex, most of us we refer to it as a slight mistake or a got carried away thing or I was too drunk. Let’s admit it; we know skin to skin sex is good and horny.

Africanveil took this opportunity to go inside the bare-backing world of today and what we discovered is more shocking comparing to what is being campaigned against HIV/Aids.

There are a lot of sex parties now that will strictly not allow the use of condoms, and some websites that are strictly for bare-backing only and some that are strictly Hiv/Aids sites and chat rooms. You will be surprised that even the language that’s used is different as in terms of having unprotected sex, words like breeding and seeding.

Some of the website managers we talked to about the subject, told us they were catering for everyone without discriminating.

We managed to visit some African countries, European and United Kingdom; we also managed to interview with those that allowed us to publish their experience.

Tumi from South Africa tells us how he became positive, "its was my own carelessness, you know when you live in townships here, there is not much happening when it comes to gay parties and functions, so most young guys head off to Johannesburg."

When I moved there, I suppose I was a new boy on the bloke, so it was about being taken out by other guys that pretended to be good friends but it was not about friendship. Sex was the main thing and the worst about it was that it was unprotected. So I would not blame the townships now no, but it would help if all those young guys coming from townships were warned about the dangers of HIV/Aids. For me I worry about the next generation that’s coming up with out being warned.

Malindi from Zambia tells us that its still not easy out here to get condoms, so most of young guys will always want to use protection for just preventing pregnancies which is really sad, if you had to go and ask for a condom, the whole clinic wants to know who you are sleeping with. I’m having this experience from a rural part of Zambia, we do have a few guys out here that want to practice same sex but that does not exclude us from catching HIV.

Peter from Holland says its very normal out here, Amsterdam has got used to that kind of fun on a gay scene. Some of the parties here in Amsterdam, you don’t need to even ask, but you rather have to prove that you are positive instead, and when you all have sex at these parties, it’s a normal thing and what is expected of everyone to do.

We asked peter if we could be invited to some of these parties, as he organizes these private parties.

Ndanji: So what are we supposed to do when we get there? Do we have to introduce ourselves to everyone?

Peter: Oh no, you will be my special guest, you might even be lucky that you would even manage to talk to some of the boys there and their experiences.

Africanveil managed to have an invitation to the sex party, but what was surprising is that, you just don’t turn up at the house party, you have to receive an invitation via email and you have to confirm, that way you are expected.

The first thing we noticed when we got to the house party was that, everyone was friendly, very warm place, but there were no condoms displayed anywhere. The party started at 11pm, by 1am everyone of them were excited by the influence of smoking weed, cocaine, crystal meth, so all this led to unprotected sex.

We managed to talk to a few guys about their experience after the whole act.

Ndanji: So how do you feel about all this? Is unprotected sex more fun you think?

John: I think its ok and I also don’t think you can have much choice if you are positive already, this is my second time I’m coming to this kind of party.

Ndanji: So you are not scared that you might get other diseases from others like STIs?

John: I think if someone was having STDs they would not want to come here, and I have always gone to have a check up after fun like this anyway.

Ndanji: You are still young, don’t you think you need to get settled with a partner and live your life with him than just these sort of parties?

John:  Well my life has been ruined already, so I don’t think there is much left for me out there, its not that easy to find someone like me to have as a partner. So you just get frustrated about it all and end up coming here.

Ndanji: What would be your advice to those that you think might fall into your steps?

John: It’s not a good life, they should always test with their boyfriends before they have unprotected sex and they should be both clean otherwise they would end up like me.

We also talked to the organizer about these parties and here is what he had to say.

Ndanji: Why do you have to host these sort of parties?

Peter: I’m HIV positive myself and when I tried to talk about it openly to those that I tried to have sex with they always told me, they were positive too and wanted to go somewhere they would be able to do it without protection.

Ndanji: But don’t you think that’s not being helpful if it comes to campaigning against HIV and encouraging people to use protection?

Peter: Look, there are a lot of people out there that are having unprotected sex and they take it very normal, there are also people out there that will take drugs freely, its not that people don’t know about this no, they just choose not to protect themselves and that’s it really. So its not up to me to start telling them that they need to change their lives and that’s not encouraging it.

In UK it was very different, most guys had a different reaction to bare-backing, but its happening, there are a few private parties that take place but we did not manage to get an invitation, some of the people we talked to confirmed, most of bare-backing in London were happening at saunas than private parties.

Steve is HIV positive and goes to the saunas all the time, he agreed to talk to us openly.

Steve: It’s happening; there are a lot of guys that I have sex with at the sauna that will not even bother to ask for protection, I think your looks also contribute.

Ndanji: How do you mean, just looks would make one have unprotected sex?

Steve: oh you will be surprised, if you have a good dick, nice body and nice arse, well anyone is able to fall for that and they do, so the question is would they want all that package covered in a plastic? no, they just go for it without a condom.

Ndanji: So is this the only place you can have unprotected sex from?

Steve: Not really, you can go on Gaydar or Gay Bareback websites, and you will in no minute find someone that will want to have it.

Ndanji: So would you say that these sites are encouraging the whole bare-backing act?

Steve: No I don’t think so, look I go to the saunas, I pay to get in, when I’m there, I’m an adult I know what I want, so its not like those owners have to come knocking on doors to find out if we are using condoms no, its our responsibility but that seems to slip off our hands and we like it that way at least some of us.

You will be surprised how many young people in London are having HIV, the same when you go and have unprotected sex, its all with guys between 23 and 40 years, unprotected sex is now like a fashion, most young guys are having it.

In German it wasn’t much different from Holland, except that it was more of Older guys that were having unprotected sex, we briefly spoke to Klaus and here is what he had to say.

There are a lot out here that have bare-back sex, I think its not just German that’s doing that, Europe’s HIV status is growing, we used to say Africa and India are worse when it comes to HIV/Aids, well it’s certainly increasing here.

In German older guys are the ones that like to have bare-back sex, so they tend to pass it onto most young ones. At some point there was someone that started hosting bare-back private sex parties but its now all underground, and those that were against it are the ones that do it.

Ndanji: Is it because you are HIV, that’s why you say that?

Klaus: Before I tested positive, I would have unprotected sex most of the times, it was always good and it still is.

Ndanji: Don’t you think that’s killing the whole entire world? Why would you not help to prevent it even if you are positive?

Klaus:  Look you don’t expect the world to tell you everything, its not about the world anymore, we cant always be controlled, look at the climate issue, the global warming, its now becoming like it’s a world’s anthem, there are so many out there that need help than being told how to not keep heating on when you are having great unprotected sex.

Africanveil thanks all those that it interviewed and those that contributed. Please note that all the names in this article have been changed due to security reasons.

Interview by Ndanji

12 Nov 2009- A party promoter in Australia has banned ‘Metrosexuals’ from a popular club night in an aim to stop violence.

The new rules will see men who try to enter the club wearing anything that is considered to be metrosexual will be stopped.

It means anyone supporting items of clothing such as low-cut V-neck T-shirts, skinny jeans and pointed white shoes will not be given entry to the hit club night – Dorcia.

Scott Mellor who is the night promoter and founder of the new rules and is bringing the ‘Dorcia’ evening to Melbourne says his ideas are to stop unwanted violence.

He says: “We are really trying to push a party night that is a safe place to go and have a good time without worrying about safety,” the 27-year-old said.

“We wanted to shed light on the problems with nightlife in Australia. We took everything that we disliked about going out to clubs and inverted it … no dressing up like David Beckham.

“We are about creating an environment where people can be comfortable and confident.”

Posters promoting the evening the states “No metrosexual attire, no aggression, no problems.”

Mellor believes that this move will stop the ‘sport jock’ mentality and will hopefully stop violence.

Other items that will deny entry to the club are trends such as fashion brand Ed Hardy, leather shoes, shirts with numbers on them, tight t-shirts and polo shirts with popped collars.

It won’t only end at the customer’s attire; their appearance will also play a factor on their entry. Men who have hair with blond tips or a dyed rats-tail’s will also be denied.

Management has said that the ejected troublemakers would be photographed for a “name and shame” inside the venue.

“We are not turning away people who look after themselves, wear product in their hair or dress with a degree of style,” Mr. Mellor said.

“We are simply providing a venue for people who don’t subscribe to the standards of 90 per cent of other clubs.”

A fellow nightclub owner, Nick Russian, believes it to be unfair, saying:

“I think you find the people who make an effort are the people who’ve come out for a good time, and the last thing on their agenda is starting fights,” Mr. Russian said.

“The main objective is for people to come with the right attitude. If people are drunk or aggressive they won’t get in.”

Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commissioner Dr Helen Szoke said:

“It is against the law to refuse a person service on the basis of age, sex, physical features, race and a range of other characteristics,”

12 Nov 2009- Alan Carr reckons gay men make the best chat show hosts. The openly gay comedian, who is preparing for the second season of his Channel 4 chat show Alan Carr: Chatty Man which begins on November 19, said: "I think, at the heart of it, gay men are very gossipy, and very anecdote-led."

The 33-year-old added: "I think maybe a straight man wouldn't want to hear all of that - so maybe it's because we're interested in people's lives, and what makes them tick."

Alan spent three years working on Friday Night With Jonathan Ross and reckons he picked up some tips for his own show.

He said: "I watched the master at work from the studio floor. He gets the Hollywood A-listers who are media-trained within an inch of their lives and he still manages to get something good out of them."

But sometimes a chat show host needs to put his life on the line, as Alan found out when he challenged Mickey Rourke to a wrestling match.

"He's been hit round the head so many times he's a bit shaky now, and forgetful. We'd planned him to do these wrestling moves one at a time, one, two, three. But when I whispered to him 'Go' he did all three together.

"So I did the body-slam, I was pulled over the head, and then he had me in a headlock - all in one go. My life flashed before my eyes, which is hard when you're wearing a gimp mask."

Alan will be interviewing Mariah Carey, Noel Fielding, Chris Moyles, Alesha Dixon and Westlife during his second series.

Capital set for gay art festival

28 Oct 2009- London, England- An arts festival showcasing work by lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans (LGBT) and queer performers, artists, filmmakers and designers will take place in London next month.

GFest - gayWise LGBT Arts Festival, which is organised by arts charity Wise Thoughts, will take place between November 9 and 22 at venues across the capital.

The festival will be made up of three main artistic strands, performance events, short film screenings and visual arts exhibitions and more than 100 artists will be taking part.

There will also be social and networking events, workshops, debates and seminars with leading LGBT artists, workshop facilitators and academics in the UK.

Events include a free art exhibition at McKenzie Pavillion Gallery Space in Finsbury Park. Work on display will include The Jack and Jill Snapshots, an exhibition of photos of a young couple in which artist Corrine Bot plays both the man and the woman.

There will be three performance evenings at the Cochrane Theatre, Southampton Row, on November 19, 20 and 21, featuring a variety of acts including musicians, dancers, storytellers and comedians. Film screenings will take place at Rich Mix in East London on November 13, 14 and 15

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is supporting the event, said: "It is fitting that GFest takes place in the capital.

"I wish the festival every success and encourage Londoners to get involved."

Author Sarah Waters has also lent her support to the event. She said: "As a lesbian and a Londoner, I'm excited about GFest, an LGBT arts festival filled with cutting-edge exhibitions and performances by new and established artists.

"GFest is a celebration of the wonderful diversity that makes our queer communities so vibrant, and our capital city so rich.

"It's so inspiring to see LGBT arts showcased in this way. I hope GFest just gets bigger, bolder and more beautiful, year by year!"

Niranjan Kamatkar, artistic director of Wise Thoughts, said: "Now in its third year, GFest 09 features the work of both established and emerging talent.

"We have taken some risks in selecting work that will challenge audiences.

"We are really proud and thrilled to announce its ever-expanding greater artistic contents."

Wise Thoughts works across the arts addressing social justice issues and the needs of the LGBT and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.Go to www.wisethoughts.org for further details.

For more information on GFest and to view the full programme of events visit www.gaywisefestival.org.uk.

Congo men strut their stuff as Kenyan priests stir the gay nest 

27 Oct 2009- Congo - As the row over the gay marriage of two Kenyans two weeks ago continues to rage, a priest at the coast has added fuel to the fire.

Kenyan priest Fr Ambrose Muli said during his Sunday homily at the St. Anthony Catholic Cathedral in Malindi, along the Kenya coast, that men are turning to each other because “the women are no longer marriageable”. Women, he said, had become too complicated and unattractive in marriage

While gay relations remains a touchy issue in most of Africa, with a proposed law in Uganda likely to impose the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality, and Burundi recently banning homosexuality, some countries have a surprising liberal attitude.

South Africa’s constitution, perhaps not surprising for Africa’s richest and among its freest countries, recognises the rights of gays — and has its gay parades. The other country with enough tolerance to permit gay parades in Africa is a surprise candidate: It is long-suffering and war-weary Democratic Republic of Congo.

The western part of the DRC, where the capital Kinshasa is located, is not ruled by the homophobia common in most of Africa. This year it had a gay parade that passed off without incident.

Why DRC would permit a gay parade, why more stable and richer nations will not countenance it is another puzzle in the books for one of Africa’s biggest countries, with a complex and twisted history.

Irish sports star says he is gay

24 Oct 2009- Dublin, Ireland- One of Ireland's best-known sports stars has announced that he is gay, sparking widespread debate and comment across the country.

Donal Og Cusack, the goalkeeper of the Cork hurling team, is on the front page of most Irish newspapers, and every radio phone-in programme has been dominated by discussions about the player.

It is rare for elite sportsmen in any country to talk so openly about their homosexuality. This is particularly true in Ireland - and especially in the macho field of hurling, one of the world's oldest sports.

In spite of all the changes in recent years, Ireland is still a largely conservative country, hence the sport star's reluctance to come out as gay until now.

Not easily intimidated

When he told his father that he was gay, his dad told him he would get him "fixed".

Cusack, who is 32, has won three all-Ireland hurling titles with Cork, the same county where the former Manchester United footballer Roy Keane was brought up.

Like Keane, Cusack is strong-willed and not a man who is easily intimidated.

In an interview on Ireland's prime-time entertainment programme, The Late Late Show, he gave his first live TV interview about the recent revelations.

He admitted he was taken aback by the media frenzy his announcement had created.

"The scale of it has surprised me. It's hard to believe really", he said.

Although he has waited until now to speak publicly about being gay, he told his family four years ago.

He said: "I went home. As usual, my mam had my dinner ready. I just said [to myself] 'this is something I have to do'.

"I asked them to come down to the sitting room and said that we needed to talk.

"I told them that I wasn't into labels, but that this is the way I had been living my life. That was it. I was as up front as I could be.

"My dad obviously was in shock and the first thing he said was 'we need to get you fixed'."

At the end of the family meeting, Cusack's brother, Conor, put his hand on his father's shoulder and said "that'll broaden your mind now, dad".

Cusack comes from a small village, Cloyne, where hurling is part of the fabric of life.

Shane McGrath, who writes about Gaelic Games for the Irish Daily Mail, said: "In national terms this is huge. Hurling is bigger than politics, music, everything. Its hold on rural Ireland is supreme.

Team support

"The GAA [Gaelic Athletic Association] has been the greatest cultural force in Ireland since the state's foundation. While it was incredibly brave of Donal Og to do this, it also reinforces the GAA's ability to move with the times."

His fellow players on the Cork team have been supportive, said Cusack.

"The team-mates are good. I think I'm very fortunate in that I've got a very mature team in Cork. We've got a great loyalty towards each other", he said.

Cusack has written an autobiography called Come What May.

He said: "I want to go back playing for Cork. Hopefully this book will bring closure to a certain amount of things."

Apart from some homophobic text messages sent to radio stations, the overwhelming reaction to Cusack's announcement has been positive.

However, in some ways, the biggest test could be the opposition crowd's reaction the next time he runs out on the pitch for Cork.

In most sports across the world, rival fans are not renowned for their open-mindedness.

Russian stars urge gay acceptance

13 Oct 2009- Russia- A group of well-known Russian singers and writers has called for an end to discrimination against gay people. They met after a local official tried to close Moscow's longest-running gay club, Dusha i Telo, where many of the artists have performed.

Activist Nikolai Alekseyev, who called the meeting, said it was the first time celebrities had come together publicly to denounce homophobia. Requests to hold a gay pride march in Moscow have been rejected for years. Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzkhov has previously described such parades as "satanic".

Russia pop star Lolita, speaking after the event entitled Russian stars against discrimination of the gay community, said gay discrimination was in breach of the constitution which permits people to live their lives freely. She also said gay discrimination was a problem nationwide, not just in Moscow.

Lolita, one of the biggest names at the event, told the BBC Russian Service: "Lots of members of the gay community have been celebrated across the world because of their professional and personal achievements.

"Why then in our country do we have things like 'homosexuality is a genetic deviation; gays must be cured; gays should stay at home'? "We think that this is a return to fascism."

Homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993 and was removed from the official list of mental illnesses in 1999. However, there is no legislation protecting people from discrimination or harassment on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity, and same-sex relationships are not officially recognised.

13 Oct 2009- UK- Chris Bryant, the Labour MP for Rhondda, has been promoted to the position of Europe minister.
Previously a junior minister with responsibility for Africa and Asia, the gay politician replaces Glenys Kinnock. She will now take on responsibility for Africa.

Bryant announced his new job via Twitter on Sunday night before Downing Street had chance to announce the change and reportedly before Kinnock was aware of it.
He wrote: "Off to work with a new job – minister for Europe."

Both Downing Street and Bryant's spokesman were quick to state the change was "just internal housekeeping" and was not a big move.
Bryant will keep his parliamentary undersecretary pay cheque of £96,167, while Kinnock remains on £106,136.
He will not sit in cabinet meetings, unlike his predecessors.

The move has been attacked by some, with shadow Europe minister, Mark Francois, saying: "Chris Bryant is now Labour's twelfth Europe minister in as many years, concrete proof of their failure to take European issues seriously.. No wonder Labour's record on Europe is of retreat, not leadership."

 

12 Oct 2009- Stephen Fry last night "revealed" that he is gay - decades after it was known to the rest of the world.
The Blackadder star, 52, told followers on Twitter website about his sexuality to mark International Coming Out Day.
Stephen wrote: "Oh my, it's International Coming Out Day - just time to announce that I'm a screaming gaysexual before midnight strikes."
But the comic, who has never hidden his sexuality, was forced to amend his site after realising he had come out too quickly.
He added: "Oh no, I've come too soon. It's actually Coming Out Day in the UK in 32 minutes.
"But I was coming out to Americans where it is today."
 

Jeremy Clarkson: TV obsessed with hiring 'black Muslim lesbians'

 
09 Oct 2009- London, England-As the BBC tries to draw a line under the Strictly Come Dancing racism row, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson has added his thoughts on the television industry's diversity policies.

In a column for the new issue of Top Gear magazine, the BBC presenter ridicules TV bosses for being obsessed with having "black Muslim lesbians" on shows to balance out the numbers of white heterosexual men.

In response to questions about the lack of female presenters on BBC's Top Gear, Clarkson said: "The problem is that television executives have got it into their heads that if one presenter on a show is a blond-haired, blue-eyed heterosexual boy, the other must be a black Muslim lesbian.

"Chalk and cheese, they reckon, works. But here we have Top Gear setting new records after six years using cheese and cheese. It confuses them."

The comments come just days after it emerged that dancer Anton Du Beke had referred off-screen to his dance partner Laila Rouass as a "Paki". Du Beke apologised and the BBC tried to draw a line under the incident.

But the show's presenter Bruce Forsyth said yesterday the nation should get a "sense of humour" over Du Beke's "slip up".

Forsyth was later forced to clarify his views in a statement issued through the BBC, in which he said that "racially offensive language is never either funny or acceptable".

In his column Clarkson went on to defend women drivers and ask why there are not more of them in Formula One. He said: "Unlike furious thin-lipped feminists, I tend not to draw distinctions between men and women, apart from in bed where you really do need to spot the differences.

"At work, girls are just people. It's the same story at parties and it's especially the same on the road. The worst driver in the world is Top Gear's studio director ... He cannot park without kerbing the wheels and he cannot get into his own drive without crashing into his house. And he has a scrotum."

Pattern of persecution of gays continues in Senegal- Teen faces trial

21 Aug 2009  – Senegal-  A 17 year-old Sénégalese man is due to stand trial on August 24 for sexual acts “against nature”, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) revealed last night. 

The trial next week comes two weeks after two other men were convicted on identical charges and sent to prison.  And the New York-based IGLHRC expressed outrage last night.

“This is yet another indication that gay men and those perceived to be gay are in grave danger in Sénégal,” said IGLHRC executive director Cary Alan Johnson.

“The arrests violate both international and African human rights law.  Unpopularity is never a justification for abuse.”

All three men are from the town of Darou Mousty, in Louga, Sénégal, and were arrested and detained for alleged same-sex relations on June 19, together with a fourth man whose status is currently unknown.

The first two men were sentenced to two and five years in prison respectively.  Reports indicate that denunciations from neighbours were the only evidence against the men.

These are the latest in a pattern of arbitrary arrests and detentions based on perceived sexual orientation in Sénégal, a country in which same-sex relations are illegal, homophobia is widespread, and incitement toward violence against those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is often encouraged by politicians and religious leaders.

Human rights abuses related to sexual orientation and gender identity in Sénégal have accelerated since February 2008, when 10 people were arbitrarily arrested and charged with “homosexuality, incitement to debauchery and corruption of good behaviour”, after the popular tabloid Icône published pictures of a ceremony to affirm a gay relationship.

In a separate incident in August 2008, two men were arrested at their home in Dakar for “homosexual marriage” and also charged with “acts against the order of nature”.  In December 2008, nine members of AIDES Sénégal who were participating in an education workshop to combat HIV and AIDS were arrested and sentenced to 8 years in prison for “indecent conduct and unnatural acts” and “conspiracy”.  The Court of Appeals in Dakar overturned their conviction in April 2009.

Violence and official persecution of those perceived to be LGBT is also evidenced by several disturbing incidents in which the graves of men perceived to have been gay have been desecrated and their bodies exhumed.

In May 2009, the body of 30-year old Madièye Diallo was dug up from his grave in the town of Thiès.  After his family re-buried him, his body was exhumed again and dumped outside the family’s home.  Finally, family members buried the body in the grounds of their own house.

Religious and political leaders in Sénégal have stoked the flames of hatred. In recent months, representatives from both sectors have loudly condemned same-sex practicing people.

Addressing the release of the December 2008 detainees, Massamba Diop, the Imam of Pikine, told his congregants that: “the judge was too lenient, we should have killed them”.

In May 2009, Prime Minister Souleymane Ndiaye Ndéné asserted that “homosexuality… is a sign of a crisis of values” in Senegal and that the Senegalese government would become more involved in future attempts to repress and punish same-sex relations.

“The Imam of Pikine is inciting his congregation to murder,” said Imam Muhsin Hendricks, director and spiritual advisor of the Inner Circle, an Islamic human rights organisation based in South Africa.  “But the Quran instructs us in Surah 2:179 that ‘in the law of equality there is the saving of life, o you men of understanding so that you may restrain yourselves.’”

Under Article 3.913 of the Sénégalese penal code, homosexual acts are punishable by imprisonment of between one and five years and a fine of 100,000 CFA francs ($200) to 1,500,000 CFA francs ($3,000).

Both IGLHRC and the Inner Circle have called for the repeal of this legislation, which empowers police and other authorities to abuse, harass, extort, and imprison those whose sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression challenges social norms.

Burundian Homosexuals Suffer Under New Anti-Gay Law

04 Aug 2009- Burundi- Homosexuals in Burundi say that their lives have been marked with increased discrimination and fear following the East African country's move to ban homosexual practices.  Burundi officially passed the law criminalizing homosexuality in April this year.

The interviews conducted by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch documents the difficulties of being a gay or lesbian in Burundi, including instances of sexual violence, family rejection, police intimidation, and now the daily possibility of imprisonment.

Yves, an HIV-positive gay man who lives in Bujumbura, says that finding work has been a serious challenge for him since the law was passed. He also worries that the new law will discourage those in the gay community from seeking HIV testing and treatment for fear of scrutinization.

Another self-identified gay man from Bujumbura, Théophile, says that he was beginning to see increased tolerance among his friends and family before the issue became politicized. He describes the law as a "step backward."

Burundi received sharp rebukes from much of the international community following the passage of the law. Key donor countries Belgium and The Netherlands have been critical of the move.

Much of the region has laws which criminalize gay relations, but for Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, these laws were largely remnants of the colonial British rule. Burundi's actions received special attention from human rights organizations because under its Belgian colonization, no law existed against gay behavior.

The new law first passed the National Assembly in November 2008. Amid international pressure, the country's Senate overwhelmingly rejected the criminalization provision.

The Burundi National Assembly, though, refused to accept the Senate's rejection, and the law became final in April.

The action by the Burundi government to formally outlaw homosexual activity came as a small group of gays and lesbians began to bring the issue into the public spotlight and attempt to create national discussions about what had always before been a sensitive subject.

Encouraged by some of the recent gains seen globally by gay activists, the Association for Respect and Rights for Homosexuals was formed five years ago in Bujumbura to mainly serve as a support group for gays and lesbians

Since 2007, though the group began to do radio interviews and more actively make its case for increased homosexual rights to the public.

But the group's limited public exposure seems to have created an intense political backlash, at least for the short term.

According to Human Rights Watch researchers, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza personally led the charge to get the law passed. Following the Senate's rejection of the clause, his ruling party organized an anti-gay march in Bujumbura, bussing in protesters from rural areas. His office then reportedly phoned legislators individually to lobby for the April passage.

Some observers partly attributed the president's activism on the issue as a move to weaken political rivals within his own party who had made public statements seen as more liberal on the gay rights issue.

Boris Dittrich, head of homosexual rights advocacy at Human Rights Watch, which actively worked against the law's passage, says that his group has not given up its efforts to have the criminalization rescinded.

"After the next elections, there might be the possibility that new politicians will see that criminalization of homosexual conduct is a violation of human rights and it doesn't lead to anything productive. So we will continue trying to persuade politicians in Burundi to change course," Dittrich said.

The group says that it hopes that the international backlash Burundi received for its action will pressure the government to quietly seek to modify the law after the 2010 elections.

Human Rights Group researchers told VOA that, like similar trends seen in elsewhere in the world, there is a growing tolerance among the country's youth for gays and lesbians, while older generations are much more likely to consider it a taboo.

The progress that homosexuals have seen in the country towards acceptance, though, is mostly limited to its capital city, Bujumbura. The vast majority of Burundians live in rural areas.

Many of the those interviewed by the organization shared similar stories of banishment by family members if their sexual identity was discovered.

Seventy-seven countries in the world have laws against homosexuality, many of them in Africa.

03 Aug 2009- Tel Aviv, Israel- Fifteen years ago, Berg first took refuge in that basement, then a newly established community center of the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Assn. "I came here, found people to share myself with, to be who I was with others," he recalled. And so it had been for a generation of young gay men and women who came for company, counseling and courage to come out.

"This basement is our home," and the teens who had frequented it lately are "our kids," Berg said. "Last night someone came into our home and killed our kids. As hundreds of gay men and women gathered in mourning Sunday near the scene of the attack, Israel's bloodiest recorded assault on homosexuals, expressions of outrage came from national leaders, lawmakers across the political spectrum, and the Orthodox Jewish religious hierarchy.

Some secular politicians called the shooting a hate crime and demanded an end to incitement against gays by elected officials, religious leaders and others."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned what he called a "horrific killing" and told his Cabinet, "We are a tolerant, democratic country governed by the rule of law, and we must respect each and every person."

Police said the masked gunman holstered his weapon and fled on foot into central Tel Aviv's busy streets. Limited by a court-imposed gag order, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld offered few details. He said the assailant used a pistol, not an automatic rifle as some witnesses first reported. And he said police had discarded the possibility that the gunman was a Palestinian militant.

"All indications point to a criminal incident and not a terror attack, which was most likely deliberately directed against the gay and lesbian community," Rosenfeld said. The crime dominated Israeli headlines Sunday. People awoke to front-page photographs showing overturned furniture on the blood-streaked floor of the community center. Newspapers and websites ran guest columns by gay celebrities and articles on the two people killed.

One of the dead was Nir Katz, 26, a counselor at the center who devoted himself to helping closeted teenagers. The other was Liz Trobishi, 16. Relatives and friends said she did not identify herself as gay but frequented the center to support friends who were. Most of the wounded were teenagers. Four were listed in serious condition Sunday and breathing with the aid of respirators. Two adult counselors were undergoing surgery.

Community leaders said some of those wounded had concealed their sexual orientation from their parents, who were doubly shocked by the shooting attack and the revelation of where their children had been. Berg, the entrepreneur who years ago gained parental acceptance of his homosexuality, said he worried about the effect of the shooting on Israel's young homosexuals.

"What happened last night takes us back years in the fears of parents and families," he said. "But we cannot let anyone or anything take us back into the closet."  Shaul Ganon, who runs the center, said the gay community was angry and determined "to fight back," not cower in fear.

"Just like we do not stop riding the bus after a suicide bombing, we will continue meeting and holding our activities," he said. Mourners lingered in front of the center in the predawn hours after the shooting and for much of Sunday. They lighted candles on a sidewalk littered with the blue surgical gloves of the paramedics who had helped the wounded.

In the late afternoon the crowd swelled, hoisted rainbow flags and held a rally in the middle of nearby Rothschild Street, a main thoroughfare. "Perhaps this terrible day can be a turning point," said Tzipi Livni, leader of the center-left opposition in parliament. "It is true, we do not yet know who the murderer is and what his motives were. But we do know that there was hate here. . . . We must all ask ourselves whether we have truly done enough to prevent incitement and derision."

Some of the public discussion of incitement against gays focused on statements by lawmakers with Shas, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious party. One lawmaker had suggested establishing "rehabilitation centers" to "cure" gays of their sexual orientation. Another said homosexuals had caused Israel's most recent earthquake and were "poisoning" the Jewish state.

Shas issued a statement condemning the killing but not addressing the issue of vilification of homosexuals.

Albania 'to approve gay marriage'

31 July 2009- Albania- Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha has announced his party will propose a law legalising same-sex marriage. It is an unexpected move in a country that is still one of the most conservative in Europe and where homosexuality was illegal until 1995.

Mr Berisha acknowledged the proposed law might provoke debate but maintained that discrimination in modern Albania had to end. The bill was drawn up by a group of non-governmental organisations.

It has been accepted by Mr Berisha's Democratic Party and will now come before parliament in the autumn. In a predominantly Muslim country with almost no open homosexual community, the announcement by a conservative PM has taken people by surprise.

Goran Miletic, a Belgrade-based human rights lawyer, working partly on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues said it was an important step forward for the country.

"(It is) encouraging for the LGBT community in Albania, bearing in mind that they are not visible comparing to some other Balkan states like Serbia, like Macedonia or Croatia."

But he said he did not think the law would be passed easily in the face of immediate opposition from religious communities The reaction by Islamic and Catholic leaders has been vehement.

Under the isolationist rule of Enver Hoxha, Albania was officially an atheist state. But since the fall of Communism almost two decades ago, religion has once again grown and its leaders' voices are influential.

Albania, though, has set its sights firmly on the goal of European Union membership, and it seems this proposed law is aimed at showing Brussels a progressive new image. If it is passed in the autumn, it could move the country one step further on its European path.

28 July 2009- Amnesty International Ireland Executive Director Colm O'Gorman is to say the Irish Government's proposed Civil Partnership Bill would create 'a second-class form of marriage for what the Government clearly feels is a second-class group of people'. He will describe the failure of the bill to legislate for the children of gay couples as 'cowardly'. Mr O'Gorman will be delivering the annual Amnesty International Pride Lecture in Belfast on Tuesday 28 July (7pm).

'At a time when countries around the world are moving forward, ending inequalities, we are enshrining discrimination in Irish law,' said Mr O'Gorman.

'This is not about the right to marry; it is about the right not to be discriminated against because of who you love. Failure to provide full marriage equality means that same-sex couples will not have full protection under the law. In effect, it is creating a second-class form of marriage for what the Government clearly feels is a second -lass group of people.

'The most serious weakness of the bill is its failure to provide for the children of gay couples, creating insecurity for families across the state. A same-sex couple will not be allowed jointly adopt their children. Children raised by same-sex couples will be denied the same protection as other children because the Irish Government chooses not to acknowledge their existence and denies their rights. These children will be discriminated against because the Government has decided to discriminate against their parents. 
 
'It is a cowardly decision, undermining the rights of children on the basis of ill-informed arguments rooted in a bigotry that still exists in a small and increasingly marginalised section of Irish society.

'We read the scare stories, the spectre of gay bogeymen coming to steal away children. We hear a national newspaper columnist argue on radio that women are more likely to have abortions out of fear that if they choose adoption, the children might end up with a gay couple.

'This is the kind of thinking that sees gay people as something 'other', something to be afraid of and defended against, as a community that has no place in normal society.

'There are positive aspects to this legislation and some have characterised it as a step towards equality for gay couples, but in a way it shows us just how far short of equality we actually are that human rights activists can be expected to settled for this.'

27 July  2009- Geneva — The United Nations granted official status to a gay and lesbian organization from Brazil on Monday, allowing it to participate in U.N. meetings ranging from health to human rights.

The victory for the Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians and Transsexuals marks the third consecutive year the U.N. Economic and Social Council has overturned a decision by a 19-country committee blocking gay groups from participating in the global body's debates.

Swedish and Spanish groups were accredited as recognized non-governmental organizations in 2007 and 2008, breaking years of resistance from some governments. At one U.N. debate in 2003, Pakistan's ambassador even suggested use of the term "sexual disorientation."

One of the U.N. council's main powers is granting consultative status to organizations so that they can participate in formal U.N. meetings. More than 3,000 groups already have such rights.

"If the U.N. cannot be open and diverse, then we are really set for failure," said Guilherme Patriota, a senior Brazilian diplomat. "There are another 400 NGOs seeking the same status next year. We need to keep working on making the U.N. more open to plurality and diversity."

Patriota told The Associated Press that the organization was a valuable partner of Brazil's government in AIDS campaigns, condom promotion and other social causes, and questioned why the application was rejected in the first place.

The U.S. also criticized the U.N. committee mandated with recommending which campaign groups should be given a place. U.S. diplomat John Sammis said that body seems to spend more time coming up with ways to exclude qualified civil society groups rather than on work aimed at including them.

The U.N. council also backed a U.S.-based democracy group to participate in meetings, and suspended an Arab human rights group for a year after a complaint from Algeria.

The Democracy Coalition Project says it acts as a caucus of the world's democracies, but nonmembers China, Cuba and Russia argued that it was "engaged in politically motivated activities" against certain governments, according to the U.N. report recommending rejection of the application.

The Arab Commission for Human Rights had its status suspended until 2010 because it allowed a non-registered individual to speak at a U.N. review of Algeria's human rights record.

Algeria said the speaker, Rachid Mesli, is accused of belonging to a terrorist group. But the commission's Geneva representative, Abdel Wahab Hani, said Mesli is a human rights lawyer who was given political asylum in Switzerland after Amnesty International called him a prisoner of conscience in Algeria.

"We're not diplomats. We're not here to hide reality," Hani said. "We're here to say what is happening in the Arab world."

The ban followed the February recommendation by 18 U.N. countries as diverse as Britain, Cuba, Egypt and Israel. The U.S. was the only country to abstain, saying it needed more information about the charges against Mesli to take a position.

08 July 2009- Sweden- Swedish scientists have suggested that brains of gay people may share similar physical attributes to those of the opposite sex.

Previous research has found differences between men and women in the extent to which they employ the brain’s hemispheres in verbal tasks, while other studies have suggested that gay people people may exhibit the tendencies of the opposite sex in brain behavior unrelated to sexual activity.

In this study, Ivanka Savic and Per Lindström, of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, say they believe the brains of heterosexual men and lesbians are slightly asymmetric, with the right hemisphere larger than the left.

However, the brains of gay men and straight women were found to be symmetrical.

The study, which analysed the brains of 90 subjects through MRI and PET scans, also found that in connectivity of the amygdala (which is used for emotional learning), lesbians resemble straight men, and gay men resemble straight women.

The authors suggested that one reason for the connectivity pattern in straight men and lesbians could be that the amygdala is wired for a greater fight-or-flight response.

Last year, another study found that the brains of gay men and women have structural and functional differences from those of their straight counterparts.

The Wellcome Trust Centre for neuro-imaging at University College London used MRI scans to look into the brains of 80 men and women, including 16 gays and 15 lesbians.

They found that lesbians have a "male-like" proportion and distribution of grey matter in their brain when compared with heterosexual women.

Hindu guru claims homosexuality can be 'cured' by yoga

07 July 2009- The television guru whose yoga programmes are watched by an estimated 85 million people throughout the world, made the claim in an appeal to the overturn a ruling last week which legalised homosexuality.

He has warned he will launch nationwide protests if the ruling is not struck down and said all of India's main religions regarded homosexual acts as sins.

In his petition, he argued that homosexuality was a curable disease and that sufferers could seek a cure.

"It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayam and other meditation techniques," he said.

Pranayam are a series of breathing exercises which include hyperventilation, a slow release of breath while chanting "Om". His followers have said there are particular yoga positions which also help prevent sexual urges.

The overturning of India's law criminalising homosexuality was welcomed by India's gay community and by campaigners, including several leading designers and Bollywood stars.

But it was condemned by Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders in India.

Baba Remdev, who counts senior government ministers among his devotees, issued a particularly strong response. In his petition he compared homosexuals to "other anti-social groups", and said legalisation would have a "negative effect" on the young, while increasing the prevalence of HIV/Aids.

"These are unnatural acts not designed for human beings. The decision of the High Court, if allowed to sustain will have catastrophic effects on the moral fabric of society and will jeopardise the institution of marriage itself. This offends the structure of Indian value system, Indian culture and traditions, as derived from religious scriptures," it said.

Swami Ramdev remains extraordinarily popular despite a number of controversies surrounding his own ayurvedic medicines. In 2006, a leading Communist MP claimed laboratory tests revealed human and animal remains in his herbal treatments. Other tests supported his denial, but the popularity of his medicines grew regardless.

He has also drawn criticism for his claims that yoga and ayurvedic medicines can ease the symptoms of HIV/Aids and cure cancer.

His petition was filed as gay activists extended their campaign for equality in other areas of social life. A young couple in Haryana defied their families to stage India's first gay wedding in a Hindu temple.

03 July 2009- London, England- The prime minister made the comments in a message of support to the organisers of this weekend's march in London.

Mr Brown's wife Sarah is expected to join up to 1 million lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) marchers at Saturday's parade.

Peter Tatchell, the prominent gay rights campaigner and founder of the group Pride, said he would march with Mrs Brown.

He promised not to try to embarrass her despite an earlier row when he was not invited to a Downing Street reception for gay community leaders.

"Sarah's participation is much appreciated," said Mr Tatchell. "I won't embarrass her. I will be on my best behaviour.

"But I do plan to remind Sarah that she and Gordon were able to get married, whereas gay couples cannot. Her husband supports the ban on same-sex marriage. He won't give lesbian and gay partners the same right to marry as him and Sarah have enjoyed.

"I hope Sarah will be persuaded that the time has come for marriage equality, and that she'll have a word in Gordon's ear when she gets back to Downing Street after the parade."

Mr Tatchell said that the civil partnerships introduced by Labour for same-sex couples were "a form of sexual apartheid" because they institutionalised different marriage laws for heterosexual and homosexual people.

In his message to Pride London, Mr Brown described the creation of civil partnerships as one of a set of "massive strides towards equality" for the gay community made under the Labour Government.

"I'm very proud of all that this Government has achieved on LGBT rights these last 12 years - often in the face of fierce opposition," said the Prime Minister.

"But I also know that we quite simply couldn't have done it without the activism of our out and proud LGBT community, so I hope you're very proud of what your campaigning has achieved: you've changed laws, you've changed lives, you've changed the world.

"Together we've done a lot - but we can never be complacent and must always be vigilant to see that progress isn't reversed.

"This Government is committed to standing at your shoulders in the fight for equality and we are guided by one very simple principle when it comes to LGBT rights: you can't legislate love."

On Wednesday, David Cameron, the Conservative leader, publicly apologised for Section 28 - the law introduced by the Thatcher government banning local authorities from promoting homosexuality.

Mr Cameron, speaking at another Gay pride event, went much further than before in apologising for decisions taken by the party when Baroness Thatcher was leader.

He said: "I am sorry for Section 28. We got it wrong. It was an emotional issue. I hope you can forgive us."

Section 28, which became law in 1988, banned local authorities from portraying homosexuality in a positive light. It became a totemic issue for Conservative modernisers. In 2003, when it was abolished by the Labour government, Mr Cameron voted for only the partial lifting of the ban.

13 June 2009- Thousands of people across Europe on Saturday took part in colourful gay pride parades to protest against anti-gay prejudice.

In Rome, organisers said an estimated 200,000 people took part while in the French city of Strasbourg the turnout was put at between 2,800 and 3,500 by police and organisers.

Around 2,000 Greek gay and lesbian people also marked the annual gay pride event in Athens, with an estimated 1,000 taking to the streets in Warsaw and several hundred in Zagreb.

Gay rights activist Rossana Traitano in Rome said the country had more in common with "Russia than with France" in its attitude to gays and lesbians.

In Zagreb, special police accompanied the marchers and a few dozen anti-gay protesters carrying banners with slogans including "gay pride the shame of our city" booed and shouted insults.

"Despite our presence there is still a lack of freedom, a restrictedness," Marko Jurcic, a gay activist, told journalists before a 30-minute-long march through central Zagreb.

"We want that the city of Zagreb, its institutions and citizens recognise our existence and our support for an open and better Zagreb," he added.

"They (gays) are endangering the freedom of normal, heterosexual people who want to raise their families ... and live according to God's and natural laws," said Josip Miljak, head of the extreme-right Croatian Pure Party of Rights that organised the anti-gay protest.

Polish activist Tomasz Baczkowski said attitudes were changing slowly in the largely Catholic country.

"But the intolerance is still omnipresent, so much so that our parades are always useful," he said.

12 June 2009- Netherlands- A leaked report from the Dutch government has said that religious schools can refuse to employ gay teachers.

The report came from the Council of State, the highest advisory body to the Dutch government. It said that religious schools can exclude gay teachers if their behaviour is contrary to school beliefs, regardless of whether it is outside the classroom.

The advisory paper, which had been prepared for the government, was leaked to a newspaper with Christian values, NRC Handelsblad reports.

Although it said schools must not discriminate, the report said they have the right to demand "explicit loyalty" from staff with regard to school ethos. The vast majority of religious schools are, like non-denominational schools, state-funded.

In April, the village of Emst saw a gay male teacher suspended after he spoke to fellow members of staff at the school where he worked about being in a relationship with another man.

According to the school board, his sexual orientation was in conflict with the school's mission.

In the same month, the Dutch Labour party's minister for education, Ronald Plasterk, wrote to high schools and primary schools saying that they should not exclude gay staff on the grounds of Christian beliefs.

The school's dismissal of the teacher in Emst, and the leaked report from the Council of State both seem to contradict article one of the Dutch constitution which states that: "All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally in equal circumstances. Discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief, political opinion, race or sex or on any other grounds whatsoever shall not be permitted."

The Netherlands' current law on anti-discrimination policy states that no schools in the country, even religious schools, can allow the "single fact" of a person's sexuality, race or gender to affect whether they are hired for a position, or dismissed.

However the law currently allows what is known as "additional behaviour" to be taken into consideration. If a teacher leads “a certain lifestyle” which the school that employs them considers contrary to what the institution represents, they could run the risk of dismissal.

The Council of State has suggested removing the "single fact" rule from the anti-discrimination law. It would instead allow schools to consider "additional circumstances" and make distinctions and decisions based on these.

While religious schools praised the Council's report, which has yet to be officially released, it was met with condemnation by gay rights groups and left-wing parties.

British ambassador to Poland under fire for promoting gay rights

11 June 2009- The British ambassador to Poland has sparked a diplomatic incident after promoting a controversial gay pride march due to take place in Warsaw on Saturday.

Ric Todd has been told by the country's civil rights ombudsman that he has 'exceeded his authority' and Roman Catholic groups have accused the ambassador of representing the 'homosexual lobby'.

The problem arose after Mr Todd, who has been our man in Warsaw for almost two years, gave gay rights leaders a UK Guide To Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual And Transgender People And Their Rights, translated into Polish, earlier this week.

It was adapted from the so-called Transgender Toolkit, a political correctness manual for civil servants that the Foreign Office funds with taxpayers' money.

It came ahead of the gay pride march scheduled for this weekend.

But the move has provoked a storm of protest. 'Ambassador Todd has exceeded his authority,' Janusz Kochanowski, the Polish civil rights ombudsman, told The Daily Mail.

'He is being improper and doesn't understand the role of a diplomat. He represents the UK, he is not meant to intervene here in the way that he chooses. '

Mr Kochanowski added that Polish homosexuals do not live in fear of discrimination as the British ambassador seemed to be implying. 

Irish civil partnership condemned as “Sexual Apartheid” by UK gay campaigner

08 May 2009- Dublin, Ireland- Irish government plans to introduce British-style same-sex civil partnerships have been condemned as “retrograde, divisive, second best, discriminatory and sexual apartheid” by LGBT rights and Green Party parliamentary candidate Peter Tatchell.

He was speaking yesterday at the Marriage Matters symposium in Dublin, organised by the National Lesbian & Gay Federation of Ireland and attended by delegates representing Ireland’s LGBT organisations.

“The proposed Irish civil partnership legislation is a big mistake and an insult to same-sex couples. It is a rejection of marriage equality,” Mr. Tatchell said.

“Separate laws for gay people are not equal laws.

“Civil partnerships will reinforce the ban on same-sex marriage and thereby reinforce discrimination. They will extend discrimination by denying heterosexual couples the right to have a civil partnership.

“This is not equality,” he insisted.

“I urge the Irish government to take a principled stand in favour of equality by ditching its civil partnership proposals and instead bring forward legislation to extend civil marriage to same-sex couples.

“Civil partnerships are not good enough. They are second best.

“Same-sex couples deserve the same legal rights as heterosexual couples. Creating one law for gays and another for straights is a retrograde, divisive step.

“I urge the Irish government to not follow the flawed British system of civil partnerships. Let Ireland lead the way and outdo the Brits by giving full civil marriage rights to its lesbian and gay citizens.

“Equality has always been our goal. We should settle for nothing less,” he concluded.

07 May 2009- Scotland- Eight members of a paedophile ring, including the former head of LGBT Youth Scotland, were today found guilty of more than 50 child abuse images and abuse charges.

After deliberating for ten hours over two days, a jury at the High Court in Edinburgh found James Rennie, 38, guilty of sex attacks on children. Rennie, who worked with children in his post, was found guilty of abusing one child over a four-year period. The child was three months old when the abuse began.

Convicted sex offender Neil Strachan, 41, was convicted of attempting to rape an 18-month-old boy in Edinburgh on New Year's Eve in 2005. An image of the attack came to be known as the Hogmanay Image in court.

Strachan was also convicted of repeatedly touching a six-year-old boy indecently on the same night. Rennie was convicted of two charges of attempting to defeat the ends of justice by accessing insecure internet connections.

A jury of 14 men and women found the pair guilty of conspiring to abuse children, along with three other men. One jury member had been discharged during the trial. Ross Webber, 27, Craig Boath, 24, from Dundee and John Milligan, 40, of Glasgow, were all found guilty of conspiring to participate in the sexual abuse of children along with Strachan and Rennie. They were also convicted of child porn offences.

Colin Slaven, 23, from Edinburgh and Neil Campbell, 46 and John Murphy, 44, both from Glasgow, were also found guilty of child abuse images offences. Campbell was cleared of a charge of conspiracy.

All eight men were convicted for possessing and making indecent images. Seven of them were found to have distributed images, although a charge of distribution against Slaven was withdrawn. Nearly 125,000 indecent images were seized during Operation Algebra, which uncovered the internet group.

The men had used web cameras and other means to plot and take part in sexual offences, including rape. The offences were committed in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and East Lothian between February 2004 to May 2008. It is believed to be Scotland's biggest paedophile network.

Rennie previously admitted to police that he looked at images of child abuse. He said: "I have discovered I have a somewhat addictive personality to sex. I just find it difficult and when I am not busy I kind of fall into a pattern of looking for sexual activity of all sorts."

When arrested he told the police: "Today I know I have lost just about everything I have worked so hard for a long time. I knew this day was coming."

Rennie was suspended from his post in December 2007 and resigned in February 2008.

Moscow bans gay parade

07 May 2009-Moscow- Russian news agencies say Moscow City Hall won't allow a gay pride parade that activists had planned to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest's final.

RIA-Novosti and other agencies quote City Hall spokesman Sergei Tsoi as saying Thursday 'there have never been gay parades in Moscow and there never will be.'

Mayor Yuri Luzhkov has drawn international criticism by describing homosexuality as 'satanic.'

Russian gay rights movement leader Nikolai Alexeyev said the May 16 parade would go ahead regardless.

He said he hopes participants of the Eurovision Song Contest, which Moscow is hosting on the same day, will join the rally.

Court overturns first Greek gay 'weddings'

07 May 2009- Greece- A court in Greece has overturned the country’s first “homosexual weddings”, which took place last year as a result of a legal loophole.

Greek civil law does not specify the gender of a couple who intend to get married. As a result a gay and a lesbian couple tried to get married last year on the island of Tilos, despite warnings of criminal charges from officials.

However a public prosecutor from the island of Rhodes took the case to court and argued that neither the constitution nor the law refers to same-sex marriage. The prosecutor asked the court to cancel the weddings.

Vassilis Hirdaris, the defendant's lawyer said, “The court said the weddings were invalid … We will appeal within May ... but I fear the appeal court's decision won't be different, considering how conservative Greek courts are."

Hirdaris added that the couples wanted to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if their appeal was unsuccessful.

The “marriages” were strongly criticised by the Orthodox Church in Greece, which performs around 90 per cent of weddings in Greece. The Greek Justice ministry also declared the “weddings” illegal.

Nationalists offer Moscow authorities help in fighting gay propaganda

24 Apr 2009- Russia- A Russian radical nationalist movement has appealed to Moscow authorities seeking tougher legislation on public actions promoting homosexuality, particularly the unauthorized gay parade expected in Moscow in early May.

The Movement against Illegal Immigration said that the proposals it made, which suggested introducing legal penalties for homosexual propaganda, were aimed at helping Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, Kommersant daily said Friday.

“We want the mayor’s decision to ban gay parades to be based on laws, not just on his personal opinion,” the activists said.

Moscow’s mayor has banned numerous gay prides in the city, and is unlikely to give the go ahead to this year’s parade. The march is planned for May 16, the same day the Eurovision song contest final will be held in Moscow and thousands of tourists are expected to travel to the city to watch the show.

The Mayor’s Office, however, responded to the group by saying it did not need any extra help in governing the city. In March, Russian gay parade organizers filed a case with the European Court of Human Rights against the Moscow authorities, demanding $2.2 million compensation for failing to allow 155 gay-rights marches.

Gay pub wins its bid for male strippers

22 Apr 2009- London, England- One of the Europe's oldest gay pubs has been given permission to put on a male strip show.

The King Edward VI, in Bromfield Street, Islington, which is said to be one of the longest-running gay pubs in Europe, was granted a licence to offer male striptease at a town hall meeting yesterday (Wednesday).

Five neighbouring residents objected. One said: "The pub is the only building in the street which is used for non-residential purposes.

"We can see into the premises from our property. I do not wish to see any male striptease from my living room, nor do I wish my children to be able to do so."

But Kay Stokes, who owns the pub, insisted that the first floor was used exclusively as a restaurant and any striptease would be taking place on the ground floor out of view from the street. She said: "It's pretty innocent really. Nothing can be seen from outside and all the blinds are shut from 6pm every day."

Ms Stokes was delighted with the result. She said: "We hold a cabaret every Thursday and customers wanted a bit more so we decided to try to get a male stripper in every other week. They will only perform between 10.15pm and 11pm and I don't think it's hurting anyone.

Hungarian parliament passes same-sex partnership bill

21 Apr 2009- Hungarian- Parliament yesterday passed a bill that allows same-sex couples of over 18 to establish legal registered partnerships with 199 affirmative votes, 159 dissensions and eight abstentions. The bill does not permit gay couples to adopt children, however.

The Socialists voted with 183 affirmative votes and the Free Democrats with 16, while Fidesz, the Christian Democrats and six independent MPs dissented. Fidesz MPs said they consider the new bill unconstitutional.

The Constitutional Court voided the Registered Partnership Act in a ruling made public on December 15, 2008, arguing that the constitution protects marriage, preventing the legislation from taking effect on January 1.

The bill is now expected to come into effect from July, Kossuth Rádió reported.

High speed gay sex ends in tragedy

20 Apr 2009- Moscow, Russia- The police are investigating whether a recent Lamborghini Murcielago crash in Moscow that destroyed four cars happened because the driver was having sex with his passenger while exceeding the maximum speed level more than three times.

The $400,000 Lamborghini was driving at 200 kilometers per hour when it lost control and crashed into an oncoming Honda Civic. One of the sports car's wheels, which the collision sent spinning off, hit the gas tank of a passing Ford Mondeo, and set it on fire. The Mondeo then hit a taxi parked by the road, smashing it.

 Altogether, four cars were badly damaged in the crash that happened late on Thursday in Moscow's Vorobyovye Gory district. None of the drivers were fatally injured, although the driver of Honda is still in hospital with a head injury.

The driver of the Lamborghini, 22-year-old Yuri, was also taken to hospital. However his injuries were light compared to those of his passenger, 16-year-old Christian, Komsomolskaya Pravda daily reports.

Although Christian was sitting in the passenger seat, in the accident he managed to hit his head on the wheel and get a serious head trauma, making the police doubtful whether he was sitting up straight and buckled up, or had his head on the driver's lap.

The young men got acquainted just before the crash at Vorobyovye Gory, a district in Moscow where owners of fancy cars and bikes come to show off.

The Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Versace can reach a speed of 100 km per hour in just 3.4 seconds. Its maximum speed is over 330 km per hour.

Dutch City Rules 'Euro Islam' Proponent Is not Homophobic

16 Apr 2009- Rotterdam has exonerated Muslim scholar Tariq Ramadan in an investigation over alleged homophobic and misogynistic statements he made in tapes aimed at immigrants. Holland's second largest city says it will retain him as an adviser to build bridges between its immigrant communities.

Last month, the Gay Krant, a newspaper for the homosexual community in the Netherlands, accused Tariq Ramadan of making homophobic and mysogenistic statements on tapes in Arabic destined for immigrant communities in Europe.

Ramadan, 46, a Swiss philosopher and theologist of Egyptian descent, was hired by the city of Rotterdam two years ago to "help lift the multicultural dialogue to a higher level". He dismissed the Gay Krant's accusations as slander.

The city of Rotterdam has since carried out its own investigation, the results of which were presented on Wednesday. The city had 54 Arabic-language cassette tapes translated and examined. According to council executive Rik Grasshof of the Green party GroenLinks, the Gay Krant's reporting was incomplete en inaccurate.

As a result, Ramadan's contract with the city will be extended for another two years, during which time he will lead public debates in an effort to bring the various communities in Rotterdam closer together.

The right-wing liberal party VVD, one of four coalition parties in the city government, had demanded Ramadan's resignation following the newspaper's accusations. "He can think what he wants but he cannot spread homophobic ideas in the name of the city of Rotterdam," VVD council member Bas van Tijn said.

Van Tijn also questioned what Ramadan brought to Rotterdam. "How can someone who doesn't speak Dutch bring the communities in Rotterdam together? Especially if that someone is constantly accused of having a double discourse?" Van Tijn asked.

Ramadan's principal message is that Islam and European culture do not have to be at odds. He is in favor of a " European Islam" that adapts to its surroundings. But his detractors claim that Ramadan propagates far more conservative ideas in his speeches in Arabic.

Former Pc jailed over boy abuse

02 Apr 2009- Portsmouth, England- A former police officer has been jailed for two-and-a-half years after admitting four counts of sexual activity with a 15-year-old boy.

Mark Brigham was serving with the Metropolitan Police when the incident took place in Portsmouth, in 2008.

The victim's family asked Brigham, a lesbian and gay liaison officer, for advice after their son came out as homosexual, the court heard.

The 38-year-old, from Hackney, east London, had resigned from the force. He had been suspended pending the case.

Portsmouth Crown Court was told that Brigham, a police constable for nine years, had attended a party last August where he befriended the boy.

The off-duty officer had been asked to talk with the boy to offer advice. But, the court heard, they performed consensual sex acts on each other.

Matthew Lawson, prosecuting, said that Brigham had described his victim as "stunning" to other people at the party during the evening but had been informed that the boy was only 15-years-old.

He added that after the party, Brigham kept in contact with the boy through text messages and through the Facebook internet site.

The boy later told his family what had happened. The hearing was told that Brigham had been going through a number of personal issues at the time including the break up of a relationship and had large debts.

Sentencing Brigham, Judge Roger Hetherington, said: "The offences are aggravated by the disparity of age between the two of you - you were more than twice his age.

"You were someone he could expect to look up to and expect some guidance from."  Brigham was jailed, ordered to sign on the sex offenders register for an indefinite period and banned from working with children.

Speaking after the hearing, Det Con Dave Anderson, of Hampshire police, said: "It's a sad end to an officer's career but also it will give some finalisation for the victim."

Sweden allows same-sex marriage

02 Apr 2009- Sweden will allow gay couples to be legally married from next month. Parliament voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to recognise same-sex marriage, becoming the fifth country in Europe to do so.

Sweden was one of the first countries to give gay couples legal "partnership" rights, in the mid-1990s, and allowed them to adopt children from 2002.

The new law lets homosexuals wed in either a civil or religious ceremony, though individual churches can opt out.

The law was passed by 226 votes to 22 and will come into force on 1 May.

"The decision means that gender no longer has an impact on the ability to marry and that the law on registered partnership is repealed," the government said on its website.

Six of the seven parties in parliament backed the bill, while the Christian Democrats, one of four parties in the governing coalition, refused.

The Lutheran Church, the largest church in Sweden, has offered to bless gay partnerships since January 2007, but has still not given formal backing to the term "marriage", and will allow individual pastors to refuse to carry out gay weddings.

Sweden has become the fifth European country, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Norway, to recognise same-sex marriage.

Elsewhere, Canada and South Africa have also passed such legislation, as have some US states and local authorities in other countries.

29 Mar 2009- Burundi- Journalists are targeted, poor peasants whipped into frenzies of protests, and the roughly 400 gay people living in Burundi find themselves Target No. 1 in their own land.

For the past month or so, this tiny country long forgotten by most of the world has been in the spotlight for the one thing people may have never suspected — a mirage-legislature rising up against both the president and the allies — the missionary churches dotted throughout the country.

There are few things as unpopular in Africa as homosexuality. It is seen as a particularly virulent and sinister strain of the West’s unwelcome foray around here. To be gay is to be evil, criminal, and un-African. You can lose your family, livelihood, and sometimes your life.

There just happens to be no law against it in Burundi.

It hadn’t made much of a difference until one was proposed by the president and defeated by his senate. It was a blow to the president, and a temporary confidence-booster for people who live in secrecy and fear.

An article in an amendment to the national penal code that would have made homosexual acts punishable by up to two years in prison was pulled out by the Senate on February 24.

It was a shock to the system in Burundi, where legislatures more often than not are rubber stamps of the head of state. President Pierre Nkurunziza took it as a slap in the face.

“The president’s power is weakening,” said Pancrace Cimpaye, chairman of the opposition party and member of senate. “We must take advantage."

Burundians are deeply religious. The church and the Word of God are transcendent. That includes President Nkurunziza, who attends the local Church on the Rock in Bujumbura.

Though founded in Texas, much of the Church on the Rock operates abroad, in places like Burundi, Third World states where fates and livelihood still hinge on the mercies of nature.

From Rwanda to Brazil to the Philippines, these modern-day missionaries have found converts and a powerful voice. So, in the past weeks, the government, together with this and other churches, has gone on an all-out campaign to reverse the Senate’s decision.

 
29 Mar 2009- UK- New laws to allow a gay Royal couple to take part in a civil partnership and become joint monarchs of England were demanded yesterday.

The call followed Gordon Brown’s move to bring equality to the Monarchy by scrapping the law which gives males priority over females in the Royal line of succession.

He also wants to sweep away the ban on members of the Royals Family marrying Roman Catholics – unless they give up their claim to the throne.

Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay rights group Stonewall, says the review is an ideal opportunity to end similar discrimination against homosexuals.

He wants measures to let future generations of Royals take part in a same-sex wedding – without losing their right to inherit the throne.

Mr Summerskill said: ‘I have little doubt that in 21st and 22nd Century Britain the public will judge the quality of their monarch by much more than their sexual orientation.’

He said the subject could be debated openly now because, as far as he was aware, there are no gays in the Royal Family.

Zurich elects a gay woman as mayor as city gears up for Euro Pride

29 Mar 2009- Zurich, Switzerland- As the city prepares for Euro Pride, the people of Zürich have today elected an openly gay woman as the Mayor.

Forty-eight-year-old Corine Mauch has been living with her partner for many years.  In today’s election, the social democrat won against her liberal opponent.

The organisers of EuroPride 09 said in a statement this afternoon that they were “overjoyed by the result of the election and congratulate Corine Mauch on her victory”.

EuroPride said today that the newly elected mayor will deliver a speech at the opening ceremony of the traditional parade together with European Parliament member Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Moldavian human rights activist Mihaela Copot.

‘This is a real stroke of luck for the EuroPride in Zürich,” commented Michael Rüegg, spokesman of the EuroPride.

“None of us really expected that.  The election was held because Corin Mauch’s predecessor went into early retirement.

“It only became known near the end of 2008 that the office would be up for election.”

With the election of Ms. Mauch, Zürich is now in good company.  Paris, Berlin and Hamburg have had openly living gay mayors for some time.  Zürich has now what is believed to be the first openly lesbian mayor among international top cities.

29 Mar 2009-moscow, Russia- Russian gay pride events will coincide with Moscow's hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest this May and competitors will be asked to back homosexual rights onstage, Russian gay activists said on Sunday.

Moscow city authorities have repeatedly banned events organised by gay activists and those that have taken part have often attracted violent protests by anti-gay demonstrators.

While homosexual sex is legal in Russia, it faces strong disapproval from the influential Russian Orthodox Church. "Moscow Pride will take place on May 16th, the day of the Eurovision song contest final," gay pride organisers stated on the website gaypride.ru.

This year's 54th Eurovision was already shaping up to be one of the most politically charged final in the history of the competition, one of Europe's most watched annual television shows.

Georgia, which fought a war against Russia last August, has already said it will pull out of the competition after the governing body banned its song for containing political references, perceived as a thinly-veiled swipe at Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin.

Russia's own entrant has been criticised by some nationalists because the singer comes from Ukraine, another country which has tense relations with Moscow.

Russian gay rights Nikolai Alekseev was quoted on the site as saying of the timing decision:

"We believe this is the best way for those who support democratic values in Europe and who take part in the show to bring support to human rights campaigners in Russia."

The website said Russian authorities have banned 167 gay events in the past.

Eurovision performers will be asked to wear lapel pins to show support for gay rights during the live show. The activists also say they will announce full details of their planned events later this month.

Russia is due to host the contest for the first time this year after Dima Bilan won the competition in Belgrade last year.
 

25 Mar 2009- London, England- MPs last night voted against keeping a free speech protection in the ‘homophobic hatred’ offence by 328 votes to 174.

The matter will pass to the Lords where a much closer battle is expected. The earliest opportunity for a Lords vote will probably be May.

In the Commons last night supporters of free speech included a Labour backbencher who had never voted against the Government before.

A number of homosexual MPs voted in favour of free speech, as did the Conservative Party leader David Cameron.

The result represents a small shift in favour of a free speech clause. When the House of Commons debated the same issue in January 2008 a similar clause was rejected by 338 votes to 169.

Last night’s Commons amendment to keep the free speech protection was tabled by Labour MP David Taylor and had cross-party support.

Insisting that the Government had failed to justify removing the protection, Mr Taylor said: “It simply makes it clear that discussion or criticism of sexual conduct is not caught by the homophobia law.”

“We need free speech about sexual conduct to be put beyond doubt. Joe and Helen Roberts, the Bishop of Chester, Iqbal Sacranie, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Glasgow, and Lynette Burrows—I could go on—are all names synonymous with vexatious complaints to the police and with heavy-handed police intervention against people whose actions were not inciting hatred against anyone.”

The Minister responsible for the Bill, Bridget Prentice, insisted that the homophobic hatred law has built in safeguards and that “The additional provision was and still is unnecessary.”

However, other Members were not convinced. Shadow justice secretary Dominic Grieve said: “I believe that [the free speech clause] is sensible. …I can think of no good reason for us to get rid of it on the basis of the arguments that I have heard this afternoon.”

He also referred to “deep anxieties about the erosion of freedom of speech” that have led public figures such as comedian Rowan Atkinson to publicly back the free speech clause.

During the debate former minister Tom Harris MP said: “I am speaking against the Government for the first time since I became a Member in 2001 and face the prospect of voting against the Government on a three-line Whip, which I have never done before.”

Later he explained his decision on his blog: “If it is not the government’s intention that people of faith who criticise homosexual practice should be prosecuted for doing so, why are they insisting on the removal of this phrase?”

“If this phrase is removed from the Act tonight, it will be seen as a green light to all those who believe they can silence anyone who disagrees with them.

“There are a great many things in the Bible – the New as well as the Old Testament – which many people would find objectionable if they only bothered to read it.

“If it hasn’t already happened, I can see, in the not too distant future, a complaint being raised with the police because a quote from the book of Leviticus or I Corinthians on a placard outside a church is ‘incitement to homophobic hatred’.”

Conservative MP Ann Widdecome said: “Out there in the country, in case Ministers are completely oblivious to it, there is a swelling unease about freedom of speech.

“The religious hatred and sexual orientation laws, and myriad other laws that seek to bring equality, have an oppressive heart. The face may be liberalism, but the heart is oppression.

“We need [the free speech clause] to ensure that the Bill contains the clearest possible explanation—hammered home and spelled out—so that there can be no doubt in the mind of anyone responsible for interpreting and implementing the law that the ordinary exercise of free speech is not caught by it.”

Denmark OKs adoptions by gay couples

20 Mar 2009- Copenhagen Denmark’s Parliament has passed legislation allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.  The bill puts gay and lesbian couples on the same footing as opposite-sex couples.

The measure was passed on a 62-53 vote with 64 absentees.

Gay couples had been fighting for a decade to have the law passed. They found backing in the latest attempt from the opposition Social Democrats and Socialist People’s Party. While the center-right government opposed the bill, seven members of the ruling Liberal Party voted in favor of the bill.

Passage of the law puts Denmark in line with other European Union countries, including Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, allowing same-sex couples equal rights in adoption.

In 1989, Denmark became the world’s first country to allow civil unions for gays. In 2001, the Netherlands became the first country to offer full marriage rights to gay couples.

Danish LGBT groups hope passage of the adoption law will spur lawmakers to support same-sex marriage legislation.

MSPs back wider hate crime laws

18 Mar 2009- Scotland- A new law widening the definition of hate crimes to include attacks on gay or disabled people has been passed in principle.

MSPs voted unanimously in favour of making them aggravated offences that can be more severely punished. The bill, proposed by Green MSP Patrick Harvie, is expected to become law later this year.

Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said it would send out a signal that such crimes would not be tolerated.

He said: "People whoever they are, whatever disability they are afflicted by, whatever sexual orientation they possess, are entitled to the full protection of the law and to be treated with dignity, with compassion, and to be fully and properly protected."

Violent assaults

Under existing law, crimes motivated by religious or racial hatred are singled out for special treatment.

The Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill widens the definition of hate crime to include people victimised because of their sexual orientation, transgender identity or disability.

Mr Harvie said hate crimes against gay and disabled people were a "significant" problem.

"Disabled people are four times more likely to be violently assaulted than non- disabled people," he told MSPs.

The bill now moves to its second and third stages for more detailed scrutiny.

Court rules homosexual couple can adopt foster son

11 Mar 2009-Jerusalem, Israel-  Fourteen years after arriving at his foster parents' home, the Ramat Gan Family Court ruled Tuesday morning that Yosi Even-Kama, now 30 years-old can be adopted by his foster parents, a homosexual couple.

As a result of family court  Judge Alissa Miller's decision to recognize Professor Uzi Even and Dr. Amit Kama as Yosi's parents, they will now have the same rights as biological parents of any child. In order for the adorption to be official, Yosi's biological father had to agree to renounce his paternal rights to his son.

In 1995, Yosi was kicked out of his biological family's home after they discovered that he was homosexual. The Even-Kamas took the teenager into their house and got the authorities to recognize them as Yosi's foster family.

The Even-Kamas petitioned for recognition as Yosi's foster family, which they received in a ground-breaking decision shortly after they took the fifteen-year-old in, becoming the first homosexual couple to gain legal recognition as foster parents.

In 2004, Even and Kama were married in a ceremony in Toronto, Canada. A year later, they said that they planned to petition the Supreme Court to recognize their union.

But the family did not consider applying for full legal adoption until 2007, when Yosi was accepted to university studies and the university's appeals board decided that he was not entitled to receive the reduced tuition to which the son of a professor is entitled. It was at that point that the family turned to attorney Dori Spivak for legal counsel regarding the possibility of adoption.

Following the family's petition, the Welfare Ministry opened a probe to ascertain the nature of the family dynamics and specifically determine whether the three had a parent-child relationship. After reviewing the ministry's findings, Judge Miller ruled that "I was convinced that the necessary conditions as proscribed by the laws concerning adoption of children had been fulfilled."

"The significance of this decision is that tomorrow homosexual couples can turn into a family and adopt a child," wrote Kama Tuesday. "After speaking with Dori Spivak we decided to shoot into the mist and we said that we don't have anything to lose. The Welfare Ministry was shocked by our demand to recognize the adoption.

"The parent-child relationship has existed with us for 14 years. Its not that we adopted a child yesterday. We always were a loving, living family but were not recognized by the authorities. Personally, there is great excitement and great happiness. The authorities and the state know now officially that the life that we live is the life of a loving family. This is a great victory."

This is not the first case in which a homosexual couple was allowed to adopt, but in the previous precedent-setting case, one of the members of the couple was already the biological parent of the children in question. In that October 2005 ruling, which followed eight years of legal hurdles, the Supreme Court ruled that Tal and Avital Yarus-Hakak - a lesbian couple - could adopt each other's biological children.

09 Mar 2009- London, England- A 46-year-old man has been charged with murder after the double stabbing of an elderly gay couple.

Gerry Edwards, 59 was knifed to death in the suspected homophobic attack at their home in Bickley on Wednesday night.

His long-term partner, Chris Bevan, 56, was also repeatedly stabbed injured at their home on Page Heath Villas around 8pm. Police say he is "clinging to life" in hospital - Edwards died at the scene,

David Kilcullen, 46, from Bickley in Bromley, Kent, will stand trial for murder and attempted murder.

He will appear at Greenwich Magistrates Court today.

A 59-year-old man also arrested in connection with the attack was bailed to return in April pending further inquiries.

Survivor gives Det "vital clues"

Mr Bevan, who survived the attack has given detectives vital clues. Det Ch Insp Cliff Lyons said:

"A man came to the premises, it would appear, and, from the information given by one of the surviving victims, it was a homophobic attack. That is a line of inquiry that we are pursuing."

It is thought they had been living together for a number of years.

The detective refused to be drawn on whether the couple had been targeted in the past but admitted an attack on two people in their home was a "very unusual crime". He added:

"That particular night it was quite windy, there was heavy rain and it would be quite unusual for individuals to be around at that time of night."

Bevan worked as a healthcare assistant and had been a member of Unison for a number of years.

Police keeping an 'open mind'

Police say they are keeping an open mind about the attack but a murder enquiry has been launched.

The detective added:

"We have found no evidence of a break-in and we are not ruling out that it may have been a homophobic attack."

Thousands Protest To Criminalize Being Gay In Burundi

07 Mar 2009- Burundi- A demonstration thousands strong in Bujumbura, Burundi Friday called on lawmakers to criminalize being gay.

It was the largest protest yet since President Pierre Nkurunziza came to power in 2005, attracting between 10,000 and 20,000 people.

The protesters were angry that senators had rejected an amendment that would criminalize being gay when voting on a new draft criminal code law on February 17. In November, Burundi's lower chamber of Parliament had voted in favor of the amendment that prescribes two years in jail for being gay.

Speaking to reporters at the event, CNDD-FDD Party Chairman Jeremie Ngendakumana said, “The CNDD-FDD is protesting today to support the [view of the] majority of Burundians that homosexuality should be punished by law.”

“Homosexuality is a sin. It is a culture which has been imported to sully our morals and is practiced by immoral people.”

“If we love our country, if we love our culture, we must ban this practice which will draw only misfortune for us,” he added.

Critics accused Nkurunziza and his CNDD-FDD Party of “manipulating” the issue in their favor by pandering to the country's popular opposition to being gay to retain power in 2010.

Anti-gay sentiment in Africa has been on the rise in recent years. Ethiopian religious leaders recently called on lawmakers to constitutionally ban being gay. In making their case, the religious leaders called being gay “the pinnacle of immorality” and blamed it for an increase in sexual attacks on boys and young men.

Nigerian leaders attempted to pass a law last year that would have criminalized associating with a known gay person. Gambia's president has called for the beheading of gay men and women. And human rights groups have condemned the harsh eight year prison sentence given to nine men in Senegal who were found guilty of being gay.

The anti-gay U.S. religious right exports homophobia to Africa

04 Mar 2009- A seminar which features Scott Lively and is designed to attack lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Ugandans under the cloak of religion has been strongly condemned by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG).

The three-day seminar in Kampala, which opens today (March 5), features an array of U.S. speakers known for their efforts to dehumanize LGBT people and for their belief that homosexuality can be “cured”

In addition to Lively, the speakers include, Don Schmierer and Caleb Lee Brundidge.  All are leading voices in the crusade by religious extremists to roll back basic human rights for LGBT people in the United States.

Brundidge is affiliated with Extreme Prophetic Ministry in Phoenix, Arizona while Schmierer is on the board of the so-called ‘ex-gay’ organisation, Exodus International.  Lively is infamous for his belief that the Nazi Holocaust never happened and his anti-gay crusading group Watchmen on the Walls which is closely associated with the New Generation Church in Riga, Latvia.

“The American religious right is finally showing its hand and revealing the depth of its support for homophobia in Africa,” IGLHRC’s executive director Cary Alan Johnson said this afternoon.

“This seminar will increase violence and other human rights abuses against LGBT people, women and anyone who doesn’t conform to gender norms.  This newest form of colonialism is deplorable and must be stopped.”

The seminar is hosted by the by Family Life Network (FLN), a Ugandan non-governmental organization founded in 2002 that claims to be committed to the “restoration of Ugandan family values and morals”.

The FLN opposes access to safe, legal abortions.  It also opposes the use of condoms and promotes abstinence-only programming as its approach to HIV prevention.  The FLN makes the sensationalised claim that homosexuality is “spreading like wildfire in schools”.

Seminar organisers have invited parents, teachers, government workers, politicians, counsellors and faith leaders.  The seminar costs 25,000 Ugandan Shillings a day (approximately $12.60) to attend.  Books and materials are extra.

“This seminar is just another way of encouraging hatred and abuse,” said a spokesperson from SMUG.

“We condemn their discriminatory words and actions that only lead to violence.  Suffering is all that they are bringing to Uganda — all in the name of God.”

Ugandan Bishop Dr. Christopher Ssenyonjo, who was expelled from the Anglican Church for supporting gay people, pointed out that there is a lot of misunderstanding about human sexuality.

“This workshop is going to bring more conflict, greater hostility, increased intimidation,” he said.  “We need love ... in the long run, love will overcome.”

The U.S. religious right has a history of exporting homophobia to Africa.  With support from anti-gay organizations and faith leaders such as Family Watch International and Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, Pastor Martin Ssempa from Makerere Community Church has attacked not only gay men and lesbians, but also women’s rights and HIV activism.

Pastor Ssempa has stated, “there should be no rights granted to homosexuals in this country”.  In 2007, he organised a multi-denominational rally against LGBT rights in Kampala, where one cleric called for the “starving to death of homosexuals”.

In response to this ongoing pattern of violence and abuse, SMUG launched its Let Us Live in Peace campaign, aimed at decreasing violence against LGBT Ugandans.

The campaign was launched shortly after human rights defenders Victor Mukasa and Oyo Yvonne filed a lawsuit against the Attorney General related to an illegal raid on Mukasa’s home.

The plaintiffs won their case in December 2008 — a landmark victory by organisers in a country that still punishes homosexuality by life in prison and has repeatedly made efforts to silence human rights leaders.

04 Mar 2009- UK- A man aged 59 was stabbed to death and his male partner is fighting for life after being seriously injured in a possible homophobic attack in their south London home.

Police said they were called to a flat in Page Heath Villas, Bromley, at 8pm yesterday and found the victim unconscious. He died at the scene. Another man, aged 50, was taken to hospital where his condition is described as critical. He had also been stabbed.

A police source said at this stage they were treating the attack as a "stranger murder". The 50-year-old victim was able to tell detectives that he heard his partner being attacked and when he went to investigate he was also set upon.

Scotland Yard issued an appeal for anyone who may have seen a white man in his forties in the area of the address last night to contact them. A spokesman said that they were not ruling out the possibility that the attack was homophobic.

The victims are believed to have been stabbed repeatedly. The men lived in a flat in a converted house in a tree-lined street. The street was cordoned off today as police forensic science teams were examining the scene.

‘Fashion for Gay’ appears on local catwalk

23 Feb 2009- The HCM City-based Café FTV was full with curious audience members who came to watch the first fashion show of NewUrbanMale, the famous fashion brand for gays in Singapore.

NewUrbanMale is a luxurious fashion series for men which came on to the market in 2003. It is known for its special logo with the figure of a spermatozoon and products for gays. It has 17 shops in Singapore. NewUrbanMale products are sold online in many Asian countries and this is the first time it has opened a shop in Vietnam.

NewUrbanMale’s style is very manly but unique and colorful. This brand is famous for underwear, sea-wears, footwear, bags, and T-shirts for men.

NewUrbanMale has more than 200 salesmen. Many of them were the winners of gay beauty contests, or are models for fashion magazines and TV channels.

NewUrbanMale was presented in Vietnam by the first free show at café FTV in HCM City, which had that participation of some local models, three models from Singapore, and Vietnamese singers Cindy Thai Tai, Wanbi, and Ocean group.

NewUrbanMale invited Aaron, the winner of the Menstyle 2008, a beauty contest for gays in Vietnam, as its ambassador in Vietnam.

20 Feb 2009- Italian singer Giuseppe Povia is causing outrage in Italy over "Luca era gay" (Luca was gay), a song about a gay man who goes straight. See the clip and read more...

Material for this post was compiled by our Observer in Milan, Alberto Celani.

Giuseppe Povia is launching the song at the famous Sanremo festival, something of an Italian Eurovision, which opens on Tuesday and is broadcast on state TV channel RAI. The somewhat ambiguous lyrics tell the tale of a young man, looking back on his past, who realises why he was gay:

"I was too smothered by my mother", and decides to turn straight. It's not the first time the singer has caused offence over the subject. He was previously quoted in an interview saying "you're not born gay, you become gay through your social surroundings".

The president of a gay rights organisation, quoted by Ansa agency, said that the song is "an insult to all gay people fighting homophobia and ignorance in Italy". A good number of Italians are pushing for a similar message to be broadcast on public TV. The debate comes not long after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who's also been chided for homophobic notions, made sexist remarks about rape.

"Luca was gay and today he's with her, he speaks with his heart, Luca says he's another man.

Luca says ‘before telling the tale of my sexuality change, I'd like to say that while I believe in god, I don't recognise myself in the thinking of men, who are divided on this subject.

I didn't go to see a psychologist, a psychiatrist, a priest or a scientist. I dug into my past, and I came to understand things about myself. My mother wanted too much of me, something that became an obsession, I suffocated from so much attention.

My father never took decisions and I came to never speak to him. He was always out at work, although I had the idea that wasn't entirely true. Indeed, mother asked for a divorce, I was 12, I didn't understand very well, father said it was for the best and then took to drinking.

Mama always talked badly about papa, she told me never to marry for pity, she was terribly jealous of my friends, and I became more and more confused about who I was.

This is my story, simply my story, no sickness, no cure..."

London Lesbian and Gay Film

Event: London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Date: March 25th until April 8th

Between March 25th and April 8th London will be the place to be to see the very best in gay and lesbian cinema productions.

Taking place for the 25th time, the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival will celebrate the latest in queer cinema from around the world, showcasing powerful movies and documentaries focused on issues relevant to gay people.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see productions such as Les Biches, a character study of an obsessive lesbian relationship, and 3 Women, which examines aspects of female desire.

Another highlight is Promiscuous Pop, which sees a new generation of performance artists queer the boundaries between art and entertainment to explore notions of desire, self and identity.

It is not just films which attendees will enjoy, as a series of other events will also take place, including Amy Lame's Pom Pom International, which aims to promote peace and understanding across the world through Pom Pom making.

There will also be a special celebration of the centenary of Bette Davis, workshops for up-and-coming filmmakers as well as dancing, performance and cabaret.

For movie fans, this event is a must and something else which is required is somewhere smart and comfortable to stay afterwards.

The luxury London hotel the 41 is that place.

By choosing the Suite Dreams package, lovers can enjoy a bottle of Joseph Perrier Rose champagne, chocolate-dipped strawberries, a three-course table d'hote meal for two and much more.

Burundi senate rejects gay bill

18 Feb 2009- Burundi- Burundi's senate has rejected a draft law that criminalises homosexuality. The draft proposed a sentence of three months to two years in prison for homosexual conduct.

It was approved by the lower chamber of parliament, the national assembly, last year - provoking criticism from human rights groups.

US-based Human Rights Watch has warned that the country would be in breach of international human rights treaties if the legislation is passed.

The draft, amended by the senate, will now go back to the lower chamber.

Married man blackmailed after visit to gay website

18 Feb 2009- UK- A man tried to blackmail a married man he met through a gay social networking site by demanding £500 not to tell his wife, a court heard.

David Beales, 41, had arranged to meet up with the victim who was a retired married man after they met on the gay website, but Norwich Crown Court heard that after Beales was “stood up” by the victim he sent a threatening text in which he demanded “£500 for his cheek” of messing him about or he would tell his wife that he had been using a gay website.

The text message added “if you don't pay up I will see your wife and tell her all about me.”

Lori Tucker, prosecuting, said that the victim decided to then tell his wife what had happened and police were called in and Beales arrested.

Beales, of Trafalgar Road, Great Yarmouth, admitted blackmail.

Jailing him for two years, Recorder Peter Guest told him: “Blackmail is often described as one of the most serious offences in the criminal calendar. It was a mean, nasty and cruel act on your part and in my judgement you chose to exploit a married man who carried with him a secret.”

He said he believed the victim thought that Beales would carry out his threat to tell his wife. “There can be no other reason for him to tell his wife of his secret and express a fear that you could come to his home.”

Jonathan Morgans, mitigating, said that Beales was genuinely full of remorse.

He said he had sent the text in a “fit of pique” as a direct result of the victim not turning up at the meeting. He said Beales had insight into his offending and at the time had not realised the full consequences of his actions.

The Spanish ministry of defence has said it will reform legislation to allow transsexuals to serve in the armed forces.

12 Feb 2009- Spain- The move follows a publicised battle by a 28-year-old male transsexual who has been rejected by the army on two occasions because he does not have a penis.

The man, who has only been named as Aitor G R, was born female but underwent a mastectomy and hormone treatment several years ago in the first step of "gender reassignment". He is on a waiting list for an operation to reshape his genitals into a penis.

Although the Spanish army recruits women, Aitor G R is recognized as a man legally and was declared medically unfit by army recruiters because of his lack of male genitalia.

He was first turned away in Feb 2007 but reapplied earlier this month only to be refused again. He said it had always been his dream to join the army since playing with toy soldiers as a child.

"I want to be a soldier, not a porn star," the transsexual from Jaen told Spanish media, stating that he would appeal the decision.

Carme Chacón, Spain's minister of defence, has promised to revise legislation concerning medical reasons for exclusion from the armed forces.

A ministry spokesman said on Thursday that under the new guidelines the lack of a penis would no longer be sufficient reason for excluding a male army candidate.

09 Feb 2009- South Africa- Gay rights activists and lawyers who have worked on LGBT human rights cases met in South Africa last week.

The four-day workshop on legal strategies for promoting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in Africa was attended by 45 participants from 11 countries— Botswana, Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.

The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), Global Rights, Interights and the Kenyan Section of the International Commission of Jurists were among those taking part.

It was the first meeting between lawyers who have worked on litigation related to LGBT rights and African LGBT leaders. Participants reviewed key pieces of litigation to document lessons learned.

These cases included an unsuccessful challenge to Botswana's sodomy laws in 2003 (Kanane v. Botswana), the prosecutions of 11 gay men in Cameroon in 2006, the arrests of two women in Rwanda on charges related to sexual orientation in 2008, and the ongoing trial of 18 young men in Northern Nigerian on charges of cross-dressing and homosexuality.

A high point of the meeting was the discussion of Ooyo and Mukasa v. Attorney General of Uganda, a case settled in December 2008, in which two transgender activists successfully challenged the unconstitutional invasion of their home and their mistreatment by local police and elected officials. One of the litigants, as well as the lead counsel, key donors, and local organizers from Uganda were present at the meeting.

Lawyers, activist leaders and donors attending the meeting acknowledged the importance of impact litigation for repealing sodomy laws and challenging other discriminatory statutes and policies.

Such litigation however needs to be situated within the context of local, national and regional LGBT groups.

Participants discussed the need for security for lawyers defending LGBT clients and causes. Many of the lawyers at the meeting had faced attacks on their reputations, attempts at disbarment, and even physical violence.

The event concluded with a call to create a multi-faceted LGBT legal fund for Africa and a training and support network for African lawyers working on sexual rights cases.

Police in Swedish gay sex party scandal

09 Feb 2009- Sweden- Partying police officers who simulated homosexual acts and ordered a male stripper are being investigated by Swedish authorities.

The nine male officers, who partied in a remote cabin, took pictures of themselves naked and posing with sub machine guns and attempted to play a 'dramatised' gay sex game.

But sadly for the male stripper, who had just turned up, the party was busted by senior instructors who sent everyone home.

The party was for mid-level officers finishing training for special tactical units. They were all experienced policemen.

All of them have been banished to desk duty during the investigation.

Gay Activists Ask Russia to End Ban on HIV+ Foreigners Entering Country

06 Feb 2009- Moscow, Russia –  A group of Russian gay activists launched today a campaign demanding their government to stop requesting foreign visa applicants for their HIV status.

In three letters sent to the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitri Medvedev, the Prime Minster, Vladimir Putin and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Sergey Lavrov, the activists ask for the cancellation of article 10 of the law of 1995 on prevention of distribution of HIV in Russia.

The law, which was signed by former President Yeltsin, bans HIV-positive foreigners from staying in Russia for more than three months.

It does not apply to diplomats and members of international organisations.

In applying this law, Russian consulates request a compulsory HIV test within one year from any foreigner applying for a visa which requests a stay above three months.

“Requesting HIV status in a visa application can be considered as an intrusion to private life in the definition of article 8 of the European Convention for Human Rights” commented Nikolai Alekseev.

“However, it has not yet been challenged at the European Court yet,” he added.

Russia and Armenia are the only countries who are members of the Council of Europe to impose a partial travel ban to HIV-positive foreigners.

Eleven countries around the world ban or limit the right of HIV-positive people to enter their territories.  The list also includes Colombia, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sudan, and Yemen.  Although the US Congress passed a measure lifting the ban six months ago, the ban has not been fully lifted in USA.

In June 2008, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called for an end to discriminatory travel restrictions based on HIV status.

“This absurd policy prevent some talented HIV-positive foreigners from living and working in Russia,” said Nikolai Baev from GayRussia.

Activists further revealed that they recently tested the application of a multiple entry visa by an HIV-positive foreigner.

“Last October, we asked Michael Petrelis, a well known US gay HIV+ advocate, to apply for a one year visa at the San Francisco Consulate, Mr. Alekseev explained.

“He enclosed a HIV positive test in his application and received a visa with a right to stay only 90 days,” he added.

The Russian law, whose initial aim was to protect the country from the risk of the spread of the epidemic, is no longer in line with the current medical research on HIV transmission.

 “The disease is spread when safe sex is not practiced or drug users share needles … it is important to make education the key component to stopping HIV in Russia,” he added

“The problem of HIV infections rising in Russia, like in USA and EU, is not when foreigners with HIV visit, but instead the lack of full and honest messages about using condoms and not sharing needles to halt new infections,” he pointed out.

The Mayor of Moscow, one of the most homophobic politicians in Russia, came under heavy critics last December after he declared that safe sex practice only worsened the expansion of Aids.

“Some companies insist that condoms are a safe guarantee against Aids but contemporary science proved that it is not the case,” the mayor said, adding that “the slogan that condoms protect against AIDS 100% is used by manufacturing companies to increase their distribution markets”.

 “The Russian government should think whether it wants its nationals to face the same discrimination when travelling abroad,” said Mr Baev.

Last year, activists from GayRussia successfully obtained from the Russian government the end of the ban on blood donation by gays after a two years campaign involving letters and demos.

In October 2009, Moscow is due host the third International Conference on HIV/AIDS for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Gay pride flag flies at police HQ

02 Feb 2009- The flag to be hoisted to mark "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual History Month" at North Wales Police, where Richard Brunstrom, the controversial chief constable is in charge.

However anger is growing about flying the flag, and whether special interest groups should be perceived to be favoured by the police.

David Jones, Tory MP for Clwyd West, called it "political tokenism".

He added : "I can't see any reason why any flag other than the Union Flag and the Red Dragon of Wales should fly outside our police headquarters.

"This is tokenism and posturing. People want to see their police force focus on fighting crime, not getting involved in political tokenism and gestures."

Darren Millar, who is Conservative Welsh Assembly Member for the constituency, commented : "It's very strange for this sort of flag to be flying from a public building.

"Whilst I recognise North Wales Police have done a great deal to make sure they are open and behave equally to everyone this seems to be political correctness gone mad. I don't think it's going to enhance their ability to catch criminals."

Mr Millar, a former member of the police authority, said : "Perhaps they should focus more on a significant morale problem among their officers, which showed in a recent Police Federation survey."

A retired senior officer from the force said : "I think the flying of symbolic flags by this chief constable is divisive and unnecessary.

"I was always dismayed when he took the decision not to fly the force flag any more, which was a symbol of a family force to which everyone belonged irrespective of race, colour or sexuality.

"Flying the flag of special interests, as worthy as they may be, is divisive."

It's flying "to mark the start of a series of internal staff activities aimed at celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual History Month," according to the force website.

On Friday there was a ceremony organised by the Gay Police Association North Wales and backed by the Association of Chief Police Officers and Stonewall Cymru together with supporters and "key public stakeholders".

The website explains that the flag "symbolises not only the continuous struggle for recognition and equality that many lesbian, gay and bisexual people have experienced over the years but its vibrant colours also represent celebration and hope for the future."

It quotes Assistant Chief Constable Ian Shannon praising the work of the Gay Police Association and adding : "Sexuality is a highly emotive and personal matter and I have great respect for those involved with the Gay Police Association who, over the years, have worked selflessly to promote equality within our organisation."

"I am immensely proud to support our gay officers and staff and I hope that this event sends out a clear message as we continue to strive for inclusivity and equality."

Jenny Porter, community liaison officer for Stonewall Cymru says: "It is a great sign to lesbian, gay and bisexual people in North Wales how much the police has changed and it is encouraging that people have confidence in the police to report homophobic hate crime."

"The flag signifies that we are celebrating the fact that the world is full of people with differing sexual orientations and that everyone should be treated equally and with respect."

26 Jan 2009- Bahrain’s gay community is outraged after a number of social networking sites were blocked as part of a government clampdown on porn.

Homosexuals previously used the Internet to meet new partners, but say their safety has been put at risk by a government decision to block access to sites such as www.gaydar.com.

One gay Bahraini man, who asked to remain anonymous, said they would now have to meet in public - exposing them to the possible wrath of family, society and the dangers of meeting strangers. He claimed the ban would lead to an increase in porn being sold on the black market, but said if the government wanted to address homosexuality it should start in its own schools.

"I also think a lot of expats will end up leaving now - they live here mainly because Bahrain is more liberal."

A gay expat man, who wanted to remain anonymous, agreed the move was a backward step.

"I'm really disappointed, but I have already found a way around it."

Meanwhile, a lesbian Bahraini who asked to remain anonymous said although she didn't use gay social networking sites herself, many of her friends did and were upset with the clampdown.

Outrage as Two Gay Men Beaten by Lebanese Army in Achrafieh

25 Jan 2009 -Beirut- The gay community in Lebanon is angry this weekend.  And so are human rights groups, according to two local French language web sites.

The anger is over the savage public beating of two men by soldiers in Sassine Square, Achrafieh in eastern part of Beirut, on Thursday evening.

The two men, thinking they were out of sight, were “engaged in lovemaking, in the lobby of an uninhabited building”, L’Orient Le Jour website reports.  The website of LGBT rights group Helem carries the same French language report.

Discovering the two men in action, the Lebanese army soldiers subjected the pair to a summary beating in the street.

The report said that the two men were subject to “punching, kicking, rifle butts, insults, humiliation”, says the report which was originated by the ALEF (Association Libanaise pour l’Education et la Formation) human rights group..

The beating only ends when bystanders start condemning the action by the Army.

Held overnight by troops, the two men were reported transferred to the Hobeiche barracks, on the order of Attorney General.

Barracks, as L’Orient Le Jour notes, is “known not to be particularly kind to prisoners”.

ALEF notes that “both men had sinned recklessly, even by mistake”.  But the group questions the “barbaric and unacceptable reaction of the soldiers facing the display of homosexuality”.

“But should we beat them and treat them like this?

“It is high time that the country’s lawmakers are looking at an obsolete law, ridiculous and totally from another era, that condemns and punishes homosexuality in Lebanon.

“At a time when gay marriage is permitted in many countries, the authorities hypocritically deny the simplest expression of a reality that [exists],” ALEF says.

Arrests After ‘Gay Swoops’ in Bahrain, Egypt and Morocco

23 Jan 2009- A top producer at Egyptian TV and a young man working with the foreign press were among four men arrested in Cairo earlier this month when a “network of homosexuals” was broken up, the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission says in a digest of press reports.

Almoheet, a Pan-Arab News Internet portal reported:  “On Jan 5, The Egyptian Security Services destroyed a network of homosexuals, following complains to the Morality Unit of the Interior Ministry that the young men frequented an apartment in Ahmed Orabi Street.

“At first, the detectives suspected that the place accommodated young girls with male clients, but the police soon found out that all people in the place were men.

“After surveillance, the detectives found out that all of the people who visited the apartment were gay, and the location was a place set up for gays to commit sodomy,” the report continued.

“The ringleaders of the gay prostitution operation were four people, including a top producer at Egyptian TV, a fabric merchant, an accountant, and a young man who worked with foreign press.

“Following the raid, eight people were arrested and police confiscated gay pornography on the detainee’s computers and on their cell phones.

In Morocco, an Italian man has been sentenced to four months in jail for operating was described as “a gay network” in the country.

The Almaghrebiya newspaper reported that on Jan 19, the Criminal Chamber of the lower Court in the city of Marakesh, sentenced an Italian citizen to prison and a fine of 1,000 Derham on charges of “homosexuality, filming and possession of pornographic images”

The man, named as Gian Paolo, will be deported from Morocco at the end of his sentence.  An Italian resident of Morocco, he confessed to the law enforcement officials that he headed a network of Moroccan and foreign homosexuals in Spain, Belgium, and the United States, the paper reported, saying he took pornographic images of “abnormal sexual situations” involving Moroccans and citizens of other countries, and posted them on the internet.

In Bahrain, the newspaper Alwaqht reported the two Asian men were sentenced to six months in jail with hard labour when found guilty of the “practicing of debauchery”.

Under the headline Men's Barbershop Became a Cruising Gay Scene, the paper reported that “the accused were arrested by the Public Morality Police for committing prostitution with their barbershop clients.

“After police were tipped off to their activities, undercover agents went to their place of business, pretending that they wanted to have sex with them.  The accused agreed to have homosexual sex for 10 dollars.  After their arrests, they confessed that they used to have sex with their clients for 10 to 20 dinars a trick.”

Cardiff fights gay bashing

19 Jan 2009 - Cardiff Council Leader Rodney Berman has welcomed the success of a pilot programme aimed at challenging and raising awareness of homophobic and transphobic bullying in
schools.

The Safe Space programme was created by the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Excellence Centre Wales and helps schools set up systems for tackling the problems they might encounter in dealing with sexual orientation and gender identity issues.

The programme was sponsored by Cardiff Council and involved performances by international hip hop artist Qboy. Presentation materials were developed in collaboration with the Council’s Schools and Lifelong Learning service.

As a result of the pilot carried out in Cardiff, and the promotional work carried out by the LGBT Excellence Centre Wales, initial expressions of interest to run similar programmes have now been received from other Welsh local authorities.

Safe Space was delivered to 460 pupils in total at three Cardiff High Schools. Three performances were delivered to all pupils in Year 9 at each school. These pupils have the advantage of being amongst the first cluster of pupils who have received
this pioneering workshop in Wales, leaving them and the whole school better equipped to understand and tackle homophobia and homophobic bullying.

Council Leader Cllr Rodney Berman said, "I am delighted that Cardiff took part in this Safe Space programme and am grateful to the LGBT Excellence Centre Wales for helping us take forward this pioneering work. I am pleased it was so well received by the schools which took part and that other local authorities in Wales are now considering using it as well. It is clear that the rapper QBoy's experiences and ability to communicate really struck a chord with pupils.

"Addressing bullying of any kind in our schools is vitally important, but in the case of homophobic bullying there is much to be done in ensuring people are aware of all the issues and able to understand what some of our young people may be dealing with.

“Research has shown that young people who experience homophobic bullying are more likely to leave school at 16 even if they are keen to continue their studies. Also, at its very worst, homophobic bullying can undoubtedly be a contributory factor to teenage suicides. This is not therefore an issue we can choose to ignore.

"Some young people may find themselves very isolated in dealing with homophobic bullying and may feel uncomfortable talking to anyone about what they are experiencing, including their own families. Anything that can help to promote better
understanding of this issue must therefore be welcomed."

18 Jan 2009- Dont´t get too excited. Let me start by stating categorically that I am NOT gay. I am not a big fan of gay folks either. If anything, I try to avoid them the most I can. Once, during a trip to Norway, a homosexual man in his mid-thirties tried to make advances at me. I almost broke his jaw.

However, in 2002, when the then-President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo signed the bill that forbade the same-sex marriage of Nigerians, I could not help but ask: What right does the President of the country have to tell his people who not to marry. The president did not give birth to them.

And then, the same scenario was repeated in Kenya recently. The Kibaki-led administration announced a ban on same-sex marriages in the country, calling it illegal. The punishment for same-sex marriage in Nigeria is five years behind bars.

For some reason, Africans want to be too sacred, and rather than our government solving the most pressing issues that affect Africa today- poverty, Health issues, Corruption, lack of accountability, ethnic clashes, and the sorts, our governments spend their time in parliament deliberating on laws that would make life harder and worse for the common man.

In an Africa that is full of so many problems, if a man decides that he will find solace spending the rest of his life in the arms of another man, why disturb him? Why have our Parliamentarians forgotten the Universal rights of human beings to express themselves in whichever way they deem fit?

I came across an old high school classmate of mine in South- Africa recently, and while we got talking, he told me how much he missed his home country of Nigeria, and how much he longed to go back. On asking him why he did not return to his country, he revealed that he left Nigeria so as to get married to his long-time boyfriend in South-Africa since it was the only African country that permitted the same-sex marriage. He was on exile from his own country, and he was not a criminal.

The Nigerian, Kenyan and other African governments should go back to the law that forbids the same-sex marriage and destroy it because it is actually senseless. If one finds happiness and contentment in marrying a member of the opposite sex, why prevent another from finding happiness because he or she has a different sexual orientation? If the government thinks banning the same-sex marriage will decrease immorality in the society, it had better thought again. Gays may not get married in these countries, but no one can stop them from living together under the same room and doing their thing.

My mother always forbade me from saying this, but the truth is, once an adult, one should be allowed to live his or her life the way they deem fit. The top countries in the world- America, Europe and Australia do not bother about trivial issues such as same-sex marriages and other related issues. They battle with major issues. Why should we bother with issues such as Gay people.

And so, Africa, live and let the Gays live.

15 Jan 2009 -Strasbourg- Members of the European Parliament on Wednesday urged EU states to put an end to discrimination against gays, women and gypsies within the bloc.

In a report which condemned the high number of human rights violations across the region, MEPs called on the 27 EU member countries to recognise the rights of same-sex couples, already enshrined in some of them.

It also criticised persistant gender inequalities, excessive anti-terrorism policies and the ongoing discrimination facing gypsies, notably by the police in countries like Italy.

"It is high time the EU practices what it preaches. The European Commission wants to be a champion of human rights, but sadly every day we hear about anti-discrimination laws being flouted by member states," said Spanish deputy Ignasi Guardans.

Same-sex marriage is legal in a number of EU countries, including the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Belgium. While countries such as Britain, France and Germany recognise same-sex civil unions for tax, inheritance and other purposes.

12 Jan 2009- London, England- Retired police officer Brian Paddick has tied the knot with his partner of two years, Petter Belsvik. The pair were married in a ceremony in Belsvik’s homeland of Norway during the weekend.

They were joined by friends from Paddick’s stint on I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here, at a party held in their honour in London last night.

Guests at the bash at the Hempel Hotel in Paddington included Simon Webbe, Nicola McLean and George Takei.

Paddick, who is Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan police, took part in the reality TV show last year. He was the sixth celebrity voted out and endured challenges including sleeping in a cage full of rats and skydiving.

On leaving the jungle, he said: ‘For a long time, in the police force, I've been doing serious stuff. It's all bad news I've been commenting on so I thought why not do something trivial.

'It was hard work, particularly the hunger. I lost a stone in weight in two weeks.’

Paddick ran against Boris Johnson and Ken Livingstone as the Liberal Democrat candidate in the London Mayoral elections last year, coming third.

The 50-year-old, who was previously married to a woman, told The Daily Mail about his plans to marry Belsvik in September

He said: ‘My ex-wife Mary had been very kind to me and remains a loyal supporter to this day.

‘The 'unreasonable behaviour' she cited in our divorce petition was me being more in love with my job than with her, rather than me being in love with another man.

‘And of course, fully realising I was gay meant marriage was never again going to be an option, or so I thought.

How the world has changed. I no longer have a job to be in love with, having retired from the police after 30 years.

‘And from January 1 next year, same-sex couples can actually get married, as opposed to entering a civil partnership, in Norway.

‘So, at the age of 50, I am taking the plunge again. This time it's with a man: my Norwegian boyfriend, Petter

Belarusian Army Will Not Now Call-up Openly Gay Activist for Military Duty
 

12 Jan 2009- Moscow  (GayRussia.ru)–   The openly gay editor-in-chief of the largest Belarusian LGBT site Gay.by, Alexander Paluyan, will not now be conscripted into the Belarus army.

Even though the sexual orientation of the 23-year-old conscript was known by the personnel of the military department, they called on him to report to Mozyr military department, as GayRussia and UK Gay News jointly revealed last week.

Mr Paluyan was until recently considered as ineligible for military duties due to a health problem.

But after an amendment to the law as passed at the end of 2008 which declassified Mr Paluyan’s disease as ineligible to service in the army.

After the details Mr Paluyan’s military call-up into the army were made public in both the Belarusian and International LGBT media, as well as the appeal of the members of the Belarusian Initiative for Sexual and Gender Equality to the Mozyr City Council about the staging of a picket in front of the military department, the decision to suspend the conscription was made.

Additionally, activists had launched a campaign calling on the Ministry of Defence of Belarus to start a comprehensive anti homophobia campaign in the army.

“According to the legislation, you are ready for military service and will be put on the list of conscripts, though we will put a special mark that you cannot serve in the army of the basis of your way of life,” Mr. Paluyan was told by the military authorities.

In the majority of known cases in Belarus, when a conscript declares his homosexuality during the medical commission, he is ‘diagnosed’ with having a ‘psychiatric disease’ which de facto exempts him from serving in the army.

As a result, Mr Paluyan became the first known Belarusian citizen to be exempted from serving in the army – but not diagnosed as being mentally ill.

“Frankly speaking, I am happy with the result,” Mr. Paluyan said yesterday in an e-mail to GayRussia.

“It is good that everything was done on time and many thanks to everyone for support which I received from friends and colleagues.

“Without their help, I would now be wearing the military boots. “I hope the military department will not change their decision,” he concluded.
 

Polish Politician to Former Polish Prime Minister: Are You Gay?
 

11 Jan 2009- Warsaw Poland-  It has to be one of the most startling Polish political blogs of all-time.  A politician publicly asking the former Prime Minister if he is gay.

But that is what the controversial Member of the Sejm (MP) , Janusz Palikot asked today on his blog of Jarosław Kaczyński, the former Prime Minister.

Mr. Palikot, from the ruling Civic Platform party, astonished reporters at an April 2007 press conference by turning up in a t-shirt with “Jestem gejem” (I am gay) on the back.  He said he wore the t-shirt to highlight that the Public Platform should be the defenders of minorities.

Rumblings on the sexuality of Jarosław Kaczyński have been going on for years.  The sexagenarian, whose identical twin brother Lech is President of Poland, has never, it is said, had a girl-friend and has always lived with his mother and his cat.

It was the former trade union leader who rose to be Poland’s first post-Soviet era President, Lech Wałęsa, who ten years ago first hinted one the sexuality of Jarosław Kaczyński when he said on television the he had invited the Kaczyński twins to a party – Lech with his wife and Jarosław with his husband.

In asking his blunt question on his blog (in Polish), Mr. Palikot says that there is no problem for him whatever the answer.

“The problem would be to hide this from the public,” he writes.

And as an example of how to be candid, he ends this blog:  “Ja – niepytany – oświadczam, że jednoznacznie preferuję kobiety. A Pan, Panie Jarosławie?”

In English: “I – unasked – declare unequivocally that I prefer women.  And you, Mrs. Jarosławie?

Last year, Mr. Palikot said in an interview: “Uważam prezydenta za chama” (I think the President is a fool) – an offence under Poland’s stringent anti-defamatory laws.  He faces up to three years in prison.

Gay man killed himself after going on Jeremy Kyle show to dicuss homosexuality

08 Jan 2009- London, England-A homosexual killed himself after appearing on the Jeremy Kyle television show to discuss problems in his gay marriage. Roger Irons, 21, appeared on the controversial ITV daytime show with Matthew Millington, 26, whom he married in a civil ceremony in 2006.

But in August last year he was founding hanging from a tree in woods after telling his family he "couldn't take any more" homophobia.

An inquest heard how the care assistant became depressed by taunts about his homosexuality. His sister Lisa, 30, told the inquest in Truro, Cornwall: "Roger was happy and easygoing but he hid his problems.

"People being homophobic hurt him a lot. It really got to him and eventually it boiled over." Mr Irons, of Falmouth, Cornwall, and his partner appeared on the Jeremy Kyle Show on ITV1 in October 2007.

Mr Millington later said that appearing on the programme solved everything and that their relationship worked well afterwards.

He told the inquest: "Roger was bubbly and a happy easygoing person but he did get a lot of abuse about being gay."

Mr Irons hanged himself from a tree in Falmouth on August 2 last year after running out of a cocktail party to celebrate his sister Susan's 18th birthday.

She told the inquest: "He was crying and very emotional. He kissed me on the cheek and said 'I can't take it any more' and ran off."

The episode of Jeremy Kyle they appeared in was repeated on the Tuesday after his death. He had also developed epilepsy but controlled it with medication, the inquest heard.

As a child Mr Irons went to school at Beacon Junior and Infants and then Falmouth School, before becoming a care assistant at Sheldon House Nursing Home in Sea View Road.

His aunt, Bridget Irons, said: "He would help anyone out." Deputy coroner for Cornwall Andrew Cox recorded a verdict of suicide.

A spokesman for the Jeremy Kyle show declined to comment on the death of former guest Roger Irons.  She said: "His death was not linked to the show and came well after his appearance."

Plane diverted over gay jibes

06 Jan 2009- A packed holiday jet was forced to make an emergency landing after drunken passengers became violent, started smoking and made gay jibes at cabin crew.

The pilot of the transatlantic flight from Manchester was so concerned he took drastic action and touched down in Bermuda.

Three British men were ordered off the flight and arrested. They were held in police cells before being quizzed.

The incident occurred aboard a flight to the Dominican Republic on New Year’s Eve.

Grant Smith, 35, of Burnley, Lancs, has been charged with interfering with the performance of a crew member contrary to the Air Navigation Order 2005.

The two other men arrested are believed to have been travelling in the same party. One has been released without charge and the other was due to land at Gatwick this morning after being deported.

Officers investigating the alleged air rage incident said Smith was questioned about possible homophobic public order offences, affray and smoking on board the plane.

Chief Inspector Ed Henriet, of Sussex police, said: “People who endanger aircraft in this manner can expect to receive custodial sentences.”

The flight left Manchester at 12.15pm on New Year’s Eve and was due to reach Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic at 5.35pm local time.

Instead, flight TOM133 landed in Bermuda and the remaining passengers eventually made it to Punta Cana four hours late.

A Thomson spokesman said: “Flight TOM 133 Manchester to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, was diverted, and landed into Bermuda at 5.35pm local time on Wednesday December 31, due to disruptive passengers on board."

Smith flew back to England on Thursday where he was met by police at Gatwick airport and arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft.

He was charged on Monday and released on police bail. He is now due to face the charge at Crawley Magistrates on January 16.

Stars urged to back FA's anti-homophobia campaign

05 Jan 2009- England, UK- Football stars David Beckham and Wayne Rooney were urged to speak out against homophobia today in a video which could be shown in schools.

Plans to make a film to rid terraces of anti-gay chants have been confirmed by the Football Association (FA).

The initiative follows a barrage of abuse aimed at England internationals Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole, neither of whom are gay, at grounds in recent years.

Peter Tatchell, of gay rights group Outrage, said he hoped a host of players - including Beckham, Rooney, Campbell, Cole, Theo Walcott, Frank Lampard, David James and Cristiano Ronaldo - will be persuaded to take part.

The video is due to be released later this year and could be shown in schools, cinemas, on television and at grounds, he said.

Mr Tatchell praised the FA for backing the video "after years of lobbying."

He added: "The plan is to feature big-name stars speaking out against homophobia, in order to make anti-gay chants look as stupid, ignorant and uncool as racist ones.

"We also want the FA to put it on YouTube and distribute copies to every school in the country.

"Our aim is to give homophobia the boot - to kick anti-gay prejudice off the pitch and out of the terraces.

"It will also be a world first, since no other football governing body has even attempted anything as upfront and bold.

The FA and Kick It Out, the sport's diversity and inclusion campaign, confirmed they had approved the video but were unaware of its exact content.

"Homophobia has become a massive concern," said a spokesman for Kick It Out. "A release date has not been decided."

Mr Tatchell said authorities should impose big fines and match suspensions on players and managers who use anti-gay insults.

He added: "Stewards should be required to identify fans who shout homophobic abuse and the FA should secure the agreement of the police to arrest and evict them - in the same way that they arrest and evict racist fans.

"The appointment of Luiz Felipe Scolari to manage Chelsea should have been vetoed by FA and Chelsea bosses. He had previously said he would refuse to have a gay player in his team."

Gay row hits Sanremo festival

23 Dec 2008- Rome - Italian gay rights group Arcigay on Tuesday threatened to disrupt Italy's biggest musical event of the year, the Sanremo song festival, if a song apparently about 'converting' gays to heterosexuality is not pulled.

The song by 36-year-old Milan singer-songwriter Povia, entitled Luca Was Gay, was announced on Monday as one of 16 numbers that will compete for the title of best song at next year's festival in February.

Arcigay President Aurelio Mancuso said that despite the fact that the lyrics of the song have not been released, the title ''left no doubts about the theme and the position of the author''.

Mancuso said Povia was ''not exactly new'' to taking public stances against homosexuality, adding that he was famous for a magazine interview in which he declared that ''people aren't gay, they become gay on the basis of who they spend time with''.

The Arcigay president said Povia had gone on to say that he had ''had a gay phase, it lasted seven months, and then I got over it'' as well as claiming to have ''converted'' two of his friends who ''thought they were gay'' but were now married.

Mancuso claimed the song referred to a formerly gay man called Luca Tolve, who claims to have been ''cured'' of his homosexuality thanks to the controversial reparative therapies of American Catholic psychologist Joseph Nicolosi ''widely refuted by the global scientific community''.

Mancuso warned state broadcaster RAI, which shows the glitzy five-day event each year, that protests would be ''extremely strong, noisy and organised'' if the song was not withdrawn from the festival.

Some 200 people signed up to a Facebook protest group launched by Arcigay on Tuesday within hours of its going online.

But politician Luca Volonte' of the Catholic UDC party described Arcigay's efforts as ''a clear attempt at discrimination and censorship''.

''A firm response is needed to the violent verbal threats of Arcigay against Giuseppe Povia and his song, which is about real experiences of friendship,'' he said.

Volonte' added that last year Italian pop singer Anna Tatangelo had competed with a song entitled My Friend, written for a gay friend about the difficulty he faces in Italy because of his sexuality.

''Tatangelo can sing about these issues but Povia can't? That's intolerable, racist and fascist,'' he said.

High court rejects gay priest marriage case

16 Dec 2008- Sweden- A homosexual couple have lost their case in the Supreme Administrative Court (Regeringsrätten) against the Swedish tax authority (Skatteverket) for registering their marriage in Canada as a partnership.

Lars Gårdfeldt and Lars Arnell, who are both priests in the Church of Sweden, alleged discrimination when their marriage was classified as a civil partnership.

The couple have lost their case in the district court, the court of appeal and now in the Supreme Administrative Court, Sweden's highest court.

The couple argued that a same-sex marriage entered into in accordance with Canadian law should be recognized in Sweden, despite the fact that there is no legal basis for it under current Swedish law.

In their application to the court the couple argued that the "tax authorities can make an exception for a marriage where one party is under-age but not for homosexuals."

The authority confirmed that it does make exceptions to Swedish law with regard to under-age couples legally married overseas. But only for marriages involving a man and a woman.

Lars Gårdfeldt is a prominent debater of homosexual issues both within and outside of the church, reacted to the ruling, calling it discriminatory.

The court referred to the definition contained within Swedish legislation covering marriage, concluding that the term applies only to a union between a man and a woman while a union between two people of the same sex is designated as a partnership.

The court concluded in its judgement that even if this union in a foreign state is classified as marriage it is, according to current Swedish law, classified as a partnership.

Gay rights group riled by tampon makers' sex ed books

16 Dec 2008- Sweden- The youth arm of Sweden's largest gay rights group has expressed fury at educational material distributed by two major tampon manufacturers.

The two companies, Libresse and OB, are accused by RFSL Ungdom of providing teachers with sex education material that "reinforces offensive norms and opinions".

One of the books indicates that, for young people, the idea of being homosexual "is enough to send a shiver down their spine." There is also a passage that states: "If you are a Muslim, you may not be allowed to have a girlfriend or boyfriend".

In another section, Muslim girls concerned that they might not bleed on their wedding night are advised to contact a gynecologist who can sew stitches in their vaginal opening.

"Libresse and OB ought to be ashamed of themselves for giving out material that is so heteronormative and in many ways racist," said Felix König, chairman of the youth faction of RFSL, the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights, in a statement.

The two makers of women's hygiene items have pooled their resources to compile sex education material for pupils aged 13-14 and 15-16.

RFSL Ungdom said it believed the two educational packages produced by the companies ran counter to laws protecting Swedish schoolchildren from exposure to offensive material.

"We hope all schools that have distributed this material gather it back in and throw it away. Pupils shouldn't have to read offensive opinions. We are also going to contact Schools Minister Jan Björklund," said Felix König.

Homophobic killer jailed for life

12 Dec 2008- UK- A homophobic man has been jailed for life for stabbing to death an accountant in a public toilet. Mark Malone, 30, of Clement Road, Walton-on-Thames, was sentenced to a minimum of 30 years at the Old Bailey.

He was found guilty of the murder of 50-year-old Jeff Akers near a beauty spot in Walton-on-Thames in February, following a trial in November. Mr Akers, formerly of south Wales, died in hospital after he staggered from the toilet with a large knife in his back.

'Unhealthy interest'

Sentencing Malone, Judge David Paget said: "You murdered him in a particularly savage way, stabbing him in the back with a carving knife with such force that it completely severed the eighth rib and punctured his right lung.

"The knife went into his back up to the hilt. The knife had an eight-inch blade. You did this simply because he was gay. "I am satisfied that you took that knife and went into those public lavatories looking for someone you thought was gay to stab."

He added: "You clearly have an unhealthy interest in knives and very clearly have a hatred of homosexuals. "You will have to be regarded, therefore, as posing a significant risk of serious harm to members of the public, in particular gay men, in the future,"

The court was told that in September 2007 Malone attacked a Brazilian man in a cubicle at the same location.

He was jailed for three months five years ago for punching an autistic man twice he thought was gay because he believed he was staring and winking at him on a bus in Helston, Cornwall.

Following last month's verdict, Mr Akers' brother, Richard, said justice had been done. Mr Akers was described as a "wonderful, caring and loving son" by his parents.

Originally from Barry, south Wales, Mr Akers had lived with his partner, Mike Drew, for 22 years, in Wallington, south London.

During the trial, Ann Cotcher QC, prosecuting, said the only possible motive for Malone's unprovoked attack had been "a dislike of homosexuals".

The court was told the toilet was a well-known meeting place for gay men and Malone, a married father, had earlier been seen in the area waving a knife.

Malone eventually handed himself in, claiming he knew the toilet was a popular spot for gay men "but that he had no issues with the gay community" and "was not an angry person".

But after the hearing Surrey Police said it was a "vicious, unprovoked homophobic attack by Mark Malone on a harmless, innocent man".

RIGHTS: Europe Goes Slow on Gay Laws

 
11 Dec 2008- Brussels- European Union governments are in no hurry to widen the scope of the bloc's anti-discrimination rules so that gays and lesbians can enjoy greater rights.

Under a law dating from 2000, discrimination in the workplace on grounds of sexual orientation is prohibited. Yet because the measure is restricted to employment and training, homosexuals are denied its protection once their working day is over. As a result, a doctor could refuse to treat a gay patient, or a landlord could refuse to let his apartment to a same-sex couple.

To plug this legislative gap, the European Commission came forward with a new proposal in July this year that would make it an offence to discriminate against gay people in access to healthcare, education, social protection, housing and the provision of goods and services. Discrimination on the grounds of age, disability, religion and belief are also covered by the proposal, which is modelled on EU-wide laws that have already been introduced against racial prejudice.

The blueprint has had a problematic birth. Senior figures from the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, are known to have been reluctant to introduce the proposal, with some arguing that only discrimination against people with disabilities should be covered by it. Their rationale was that a more comprehensive measure would be unlikely to win approval from the EU's governments.

This prediction appears to have at least partly materialised. Greece and Malta are seeking to have the measure watered down, according to EU officials, by seeking that the clauses on discrimination in education are removed.

An official tracking the law's progress said that there is little chance that the Czech Republic will be able to secure a deal allowing the legislation to come into effect when it holds the EU's rotating presidency in the first half of 2009.

While homophobia has been encountered throughout the EU, it has been especially pronounced in the ten mostly ex-communist countries that joined the Union in 2004. During 2006, Poland, the largest of the ten, considered introducing a law that would ban the "promotion of homosexuality" by teachers. The law has never been adopted, however, and Poland has subsequently had a change of government.

Nonetheless, similar measures are now being discussed by the national parliament in Lithuania. A suggested amendment to the country's law on the protection of minors recommends that images which convey a positive impression of homosexuality should be banned in the classroom, equating them with displays of death or mutilation. Petras Vaitekaunas, Lithuania's foreign minister, told his country's parliament in October that "Lithuania is one of the most homophobic countries in the EU" and that it could take a "change of generations" before it becomes more tolerant.

Meanwhile, Hungary's constitutional court is scheduled to issue a ruling next week in a legal challenge against a plan to allow same-sex couples to be granted formal recognition. If the challenge proves unsuccessful, people in gay and lesbian relationships will be able to register a civil partnership from the beginning of 2009. Marriage will, however, remain only open to heterosexuals.

Homophobia appeared in a particularly nasty form in Budapest when gay pride parades were held over the past two years.

Before these events took place, extreme-right websites offered tips on how participants could be attacked, giving details of bars they were likely to frequent and hotels where gay visitors to the city would be staying. One of these bars ended up being petrol-bombed earlier this year, while the parade itself was attacked by a mob throwing eggs and tins of cat food. These attacks came even though police had sought to keep extreme-right sympathisers away from the parade by cordoning off an area especially for it.

Sandor Steigler, chairman of the Rainbow Mission Foundation, a Hungarian gay rights group, complained that right-leaning politicians did not condemn such attacks in unambiguous terms. He argued that the question of incitement to hatred needs to be tackled.

"You can't resolve everything by legislation," he added. "But we do expect politicians to be attuned to our problems. At the moment, I think this is missing among politicians."

Jan Snijder, a superintendent in the Dutch police force and president of the Euro Gay Police Association, says that there is "massive underreporting" of crimes against homosexuals in his country.

In an attempt to remedy this situation, the Dutch police introduced an online service for victims of homophobic hate attacks in the Amsterdam and Gelderland regions. Only five such crimes were reported.

Snijder argued that police officers who are homosexual should actively take part in gay festivals and that the composition of forces needs to better reflect the diversity of wider society. "When marching in gay pride, we can show that there are gay people inside the police," he said. "It can't go on that the police forces in Europe are only white and male. Everyone who lives in Europe must also serve the police."

Michael Cashman, a British gay rights campaigner and member of the European Parliament, said that politicians "resort to the politics of hatred and intolerance" whenever they think it will help them to be elected.

"The spotlight of hatred never diminishes," he added. "It merely shifts to another group. Our obligation is to lead, not to follow public opinion. We have to lead public opinion to where it needs to be in 20 or 30 years time."

I0 Dec 2008- Brussels – The majority of EU states, including the Republic of Ireland, deny same-sex partners of EU citizens the full right to move to join them as they do not recognise homosexual unions, the European Commission said yesterday.

“If a union is recognised in one member state, then another member should in principle accept that union,” justice commissioner Jacques Barrot told a news conference. EU citizens have the right to live in any of the union’s 27 states with their family but that does not apply in all states to the registered partners of homosexual citizens.

A commission report showed that 14 states – Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Greece, Hungary, Poland, Cyprus, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Estonia, Slovenia and Latvia – do not give full entry and residence rights to partners of same-sex couples. Mr Barrot said the situation varied widely among the 14 states, with some allowing same-sex partners into the country and others imposing excessively strict requirements.

06 Dec 2008- UK- The Christian policeman sacked after a row over gay rights has told how his dismissal after 15 years in the force has ‘devastated’ his family.

As The Mail on Sunday revealed in the summer, Graham Cogman objected to being ‘bombarded’ at work by emails and posters promoting events such as Gay History Month.

He responded to the ‘politically correct’ campaign by sending emails to colleagues quoting Biblical texts suggesting that homosexual sex was sinful.

But he faced accusations of homophobia and a series of disciplinary hearings, culminating 12 days ago in his sacking by Norfolk Police for misconduct.

The twice-commended officer said yesterday: ‘I am totally devastated. It was a job I loved. This is destroying me and my family.’

He admitted he had ‘stupidly’ breached a ban by using the internal communications system to post a link to an American Christian organisation, but said the force’s decision to sack him was ‘harsh and disproportionate’.

Mr Cogman, 50, accused the police service of becoming so sensitive to the rights of gays that Christians could no longer safely express their views.

Speaking at his home in Sea Palling, Norfolk, which he shares with his wife Elaine, 46, and his two children, Mr Cogman said: ‘In the service in general there is a feeling of fear. There is a definite bias against faith – any faith – if it takes a critical view of homosexual sex.

‘The easy option for me would have been to keep quiet but when there is such prejudice towards one point of view, how can that be right? That doesn’t sound like equality and diversity to me.

‘I don’t have any worries with what people do in their private lives – if they are gay, that’s fine. I haven’t gone after anyone maliciously.’

Mr Cogman, backed by the Police Federation, is appealing against his sacking and is planning to take his force to an employment tribunal next year, funded by the Christian Legal Centre.

He said he had received a huge amount of support both from within and outside the force.

Last week the Rev Martin Young, vicar of St Andrew’s church in Norwich, wrote an open letter to Norfolk Police protesting that it had ‘manifestly failed to uphold PC Cogman’s right to express his Christian faith’.

The vicar added: ‘His views are not extreme or unusual. They are consistent with the published understanding of the Church of England, of which he is a member.’ Mr Cogman said he had no problems with colleagues until gay liaison officers circulated an email to officers in early 2005 encouraging staff to wear a pink ribbon on their uniforms during Gay History Month.

He emailed colleagues suggesting they might want to read biblical texts suggesting homosexual sex was sinful. As a result, he was ordered to stop using the internal messaging system for failing to show ‘tolerance and respect’ for fellow officers.

The following year, when officers were encouraged to wear rainbow ribbons during Gay History Month, Mr Cogman said it was ‘inappropriate, thoughtless and insensitive’ as the rainbow symbolised God’s faithfulness.

He was accused of unlawfully using the internal messaging system and victimising another gay liaison officer by saying: ‘Love the sinner, hate the deed.’ He was docked 13 days’ pay.

In April this year, he was questioned again after circulating a link to a helpline for people struggling with their sexuality on a website headed by the controversial American preacher Pat Robertson.

At the misconduct hearing, overseen by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, a panel found that Mr Cogman had ignored an order banning him from using the police computer system and had failed to treat a colleague with politeness and respect.

Mr Cogman said: ‘I felt physically sick when I heard the ruling. If I hadn’t posted that link I would still have a job. That was my downfall, my stupidity, however you want to put it. But my intention was to help.’

He claimed a small group of pro-gay officers had been determined to oust him. ‘They have their own agenda and now they have my scalp.’

Norfolk Police said: ‘The issue is not about Mr Cogman’s beliefs but about his behaviour. He ignored repeated warnings about his behaviour and was dismissed for failing to obey a lawful order and required to resign for failing to show politeness and tolerance to colleagues.’

Valencia Gay couple refused permission to bring their baby into Spain

27 Nov 2008- Spain- One of the men is the father of the child which was born in the United States by a surrogate mother.

A married couple of gay men from Valencia have been refused permission to bring two babies into Spain from the United States where the babies were born thanks to a surrogate mother. The woman was chosen by the two men, and one of them provided the sperm in a practice which is legal in the United States but not in Spain, and that is why now the Spanish Embassy is refusing a visa for the babies to enter Spain.

Diario Levante reports that such problems do not occur in heterosexual couples who use surrogates, or even in the case of lesbians, as the benefit of doubt is given by the Spanish authorities who consider that one of the women is the biological mother of the child. Hence the current discrimination against gay men.

Spanish socialist senator, Andrés Perelló, has commented that this is a matter which needs to be resolved as there are five other gay married couples who are expecting children next year in the same situation.

Norway team says sorry for Valencia gay jibe

27 Nov 2008- Norway's Rosenborg has apologised to Valencia after a prank saw their website refer to Spanish Champions League rivals Valencia as "homosexuals."

A video on the site had been designed to give a little linguistic guidance to readers ahead of Thursday's UEFA Cup encounter but one clip featured Rosenborg's Uruguayan defender Alejandro Lago calling the La Liga side "maricones" - slang for gays.

Reading from a script, Lago also slammed the Spanish as "little girlies who can't take it when temperatures drop below zero."

That comment came following a report that the Spanish outfit had had supplementary clothing flown in to cope with the Scandinavian winter weather - but the website furore was a frosty reception of a different kind.

Rosenborg apologised and said that "one should not joke" either about matters religious or issues of sexuality.

26 Nov 2008- London- Boy George's lawyer said on Wednesday the man who has accused the British singer of tying him up and beating him with a chain last year "sexed up" his story to sell it to the press.

Lawyer Adrian Waterman told Snaresbrook Crown Court in east London that Norwegian male escort Audun Carlsen had lied about his meetings with the 47-year-old, best known for fronting the band Culture Club in the 1980s.

"You have lied to the police," he said. "You have tried to make this story more exciting. You have added details and you have sold your story to the press and you have every intention of doing so again."

Carlsen disagreed, saying: "Do you think I would put myself through all this for the sake of a few thousand pounds?"

During his cross-examination of the witness on the third day of the trial, Waterman suggested Carlsen had received injuries to his arm and neck from bondage gear worn during a photo shoot with Boy George, being tried under his real name George O'Dowd.

He produced several colored photographs taken on the night and showed them to the judge and jury. A short video clip was also shown.

Carlsen said the injuries were the result of his handcuffing and beating at the hands of O'Dowd, who sat impassively in the dock during Wednesday's hearing. O'Dowd denies one charge of false imprisonment.

"MOTIVE WAS REJECTION"

Carlsen also told the court he believed O'Dowd had attacked him on their second meeting, in April 2007, because he had refused to have sex with him the first time they met in January.

"I think he couldn't handle the refusal of me not having sex with him," said Carlsen, who wore a dark jacket.

During the cocaine-fueled January meeting, which centered around a pornographic photo shoot for which Carlsen was paid, O'Dowd performed a sex act on him for a few seconds before he stopped him, Carlsen said earlier this week.

O'Dowd says he became angry because Carlsen had tampered with his computer and taken photographs from it to use on the website Gaydar without the singer's permission. He complained to Carlsen several times, the court has heard.

Waterman said Carlsen used the computer again during their second meeting months later.

"Do you think after all his accusations I would be so silly and go on his computer?" Carlsen countered.

After escaping O'Dowd's London residence by unscrewing the wall hook to which he says he was handcuffed, Carlsen ran into the street wearing his underwear and a T-shirt. He came across shopkeeper Diptesh Patel who invited him into his store.

"He seemed rather agitated," Patel told the jury. "He said 'Help me, help me, two guys have hurt me.'"

The police arrived soon after and Carlsen was taken to Shoreditch police station. Later that day they searched O'Dowd's flat and arrested him. The trial continues.

25 Nov 2008- In an unexpected blitz move, the parliament of Burundi has passed a law, making same-sex acts punishable by between three months and two years in prison, along with a substantial fine. Pro-gay groups are expressing outrage.

The new legislation, which still has to pass before the Bujumbura Senate, would criminalise homosexuality for the first time in the history of the country. The Senate may vote on the bill as early as tomorrow and if it passes, Burundian President Nkurunziza will likely sign it into law.

The government of Burundi's latest move comes in the context of considerable hostility to homosexuality in the East African region. Two-thirds of African nations maintain criminal penalties for consensual same-sex behaviour. In recent years several countries, including Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Uganda, have threatened to strengthen laws against homosexuality.

Several nations, including Burundi, have enacted legislation criminalising same-sex marriage, though little or no advocacy to promote such marriages has taken place. These laws appear to be emerging in response to an increasingly visible, outspoken, and organised sexual rights movement.

The new legislation in Burundi immediately sparked protests by national and international pro-gay groups and organisations. The International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the local Association pour le Respect et les Droits des Homosexuels (ARDO) issued strongly worded letters to the entire membership of Burundi's Senate, asking them to vote against the legislation.

IGLHRC and ARDO also wrote to President Nkurunziza, asking him to veto the legislation should it be presented to him for his signature. Both groups have encouraged others, including the nation's donors, to contact Burundian authorities to protest the measure.

"Imprisoning people simply because of who they love offends every principle of human rights practice, which is to ensure dignity and respect for all people," said Paula Ettelbrick, IGLHRC's executive director. "This is less about sexuality and more about the visibility of a growing community of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Africa refusing to be treated as dirt. These laws are meant to silence and terrorize our community and must be stopped."

The UN recently condemned laws that criminalize homosexuality as being violations of the rights to privacy and equality and has called upon member states that maintain such laws to review them. Members of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights have condemned physical attacks on and the imprisonment of lesbians and gays.

International and local human rights defenders have expressed grave concern not only about the nature of the current legislation in Burundi, but also about the way in which it has been promulgated. "The government has moved this bill quickly and unjustly through the legislative process," said a representative of ARDO. "The whole process has happened over the course of a weekend, with no input from civil society or general discussion about the issue of homosexuality and freedom of expression within Burundi."

"If the current legislation passes, it is likely that the country’s HIV prevention efforts will suffer," according to IGLHRC. Burundi has made commendable efforts to fight HIV and AIDS during the last decade. But an IGLHRC report demonstrates how laws that criminalise homosexuality drive communities underground, making men who have sex with men less able to access HIV-related prevention information.

20 Nov 2008- Amsterdam, Netherlands- Amsterdam faces an ingrained problem of violence against gay men, despite its reputation as a haven of tolerance, according to a study released Thursday.

Town councilman Freek Ossel said the University of Amsterdam study, commissioned by the city, said the Dutch capital must improve protection of gays, increase education, and encourage reporting of discriminatory incidents.

"Amsterdam's title as a gay capital, according to some people, has already been gone for years, and according to others in any case it's at stake," he said.

The study said 67 attacks were reported in Amsterdam in 2007. Police commissioner Leo Wilde said the number was about average for recent years and "is not decreasing."

The figure is difficult to compare with other cities. Amsterdam, with 750,000 people, has tried for years to improve reporting of anti-gay incidents, but police believe most still go unreported.

The study found that most attacks were carried out spontaneously by poorly educated young men who feel their masculinity has been questioned.

"In 40 percent of cases the trigger is if people think they're being targeted" for seduction, said Laurens Buijs, one of the study's authors. Attackers "see gays as predatory animals that can strike at any moment."

The study drew its title "As Long As They Keep Away From Me" from that fear. It concluded that the tolerance often professed by Dutch youth is only a veneer: gay men are accepted only as long as they don't display stereotypically gay behavior.

The study combined a broad survey of Amsterdam youth with in-depth interviews with smaller groups. Authors also interviewed individual attackers and reviewed recent cases.

"It's very sad confirmation of what we already suspected," said Dennis Boutkan, chairman of the Union for Homosexual Integration. "The layer of social acceptance of homosexuality is exceptionally fragile and thin."

Gay ‘sinners’ registrar appeal date

14 Nov 2008- London, England- A date has been set for the council’s potentially embarrassing appeal against a decision to award damages to a Town Hall wedding registrar who refused to “marry” gay couples.

Council chiefs say they have been “left with no option” but to fight an employment tribunal’s landmark ruling to uphold Lillian Ladele’s claim that she was discriminated against on account of her religious belief that all homosexuals are “sinners”.
Ms Ladele, a devout Christian, argued she had been asked to choose between her god and her job by the council, which threatened her with the sack if she continued to refuse to officiate in civil partnership ceremonies.

The tribunal reached a unanimous decision awarding costs and tens of thousands of pounds in damages to Ms Ladele.
The council argues it must set the record straight to ensure future staff do not hold discriminatory views against others based on their sexual preference. Cllr John Gilbert, lead member for human resources, said:
“Appealing the tribunal’s decision wasn’t a decision we took lightly but we believe an important question is at stake and the law must be clarified.
“Islington Council expects employees to provide services to all sections of the community, regardless of who they are. In the light of the judgement, we and all councils and employers now need to know whether this is possible under the law as it currently stands.”
The appeal will be heard at the Employment Appeal Tribunal Court on December 10 at Audit House in Victoria Embankment.

14 Nov 2008- Oslo, Norway- The Church of Norway has yet to decide if it should create a new liturgy for same-sex couples. From January gays and lesbians will be able to have a full civil marriage in Norway.

The bishops of Norway's state church ruled in October that there will be no weddings in church for gay and lesbian couples. The Lutheran church counts nearly 85 percent of Norway's 4.7 million people as members.

The bishops said that pastors may say prayers for married gay and lesbian couples but not bless their relationships. Civil marriage in church was also rejected by the bishops. Bishops are considering a new blessing for same-sex couples.

“In this way, homosexual matrimony is recognised, and homosexuals are received in a way that is honourable and shows equality,” Bishop Jorgensen told NRK.

”We ought to manage that. It is not necessary to make drastic changes to the wording in order to give homosexuals their own liturgy."

In November 2007 the outright ban on clergy in same-sex relationships was lifted. However, each bishop decides whether or not to employ them.

While there is broad agreement in the Church of Norway on the usefulness of registered partnership as a legal framework for homosexual people living together, attitudes in the church are deeply divided on the ethical issue of homosexuality as such.

New legislation on same-sex marriage approved by the Norwegian parliament in June went further, amending the definition of civil marriage in Norway to make it gender neutral and extending parenting rights for gay and lesbian couples.

It will replace a 1993 law that gave same-sex couples the right to enter into civil unions.

Couples with a pre-registered civil partnership will be able to convert it into marriage.

Under the new legislation, which comes into force in January, the Church of Norway was allowed, but not compelled, to bless same-sex marriages.

13 Nov 2008- A senior civil servant stabbed by his gay lover was unable to defend himself after being tied up and blindfolded as part of a bondage game.

Adrian Poleglase was wearing high heels, suspenders and a blonde wig when emergency services rescued him from his burning home, a court heard today.

The government official was allegedly attacked by Ashan Mahmudd, a 21-year-old he met on the Internet, after the pair had sex in the kitchen.

Mahmudd allegedly knifed Mr Poleglase, in his 40s, seven times, before torching his luxury flat and fleeing with his laptop and credit cards.

The Old Bailey heard that the civil servant was helpless to resist, as he had allowed himself to be tied up and blindfolded by his attacker in a sex game.

Mark Gadsden, prosecuting, said Mr Poleglase, who liked to cross dress and call himself 'Claire', had met the defendant on the dating website Gumtree.

He said: 'Adrian Poleglase, the complainant, is an openly gay man who is an occasional transvestite, and who from time to time places advertisements in order to meet other men for no strings attached sex at his flat.'

'Earlier this year, he placed one using the pseudonym Claire, to which the defendant responded using the pseudonym Rubal Ahmed.

'During the course of Internet messenger conversations, it was made clear to the defendant that Claire was actually a gay man, who dressed up in women's clothes, purely for sexual purposes, and they arranged to meet up at Adrian Poleglase's flat.

'Mr Poleglase asked the defendant how he wanted Claire to be dressed, whether as a schoolgirl or in leather.

'The defendant indicated no preference, so he decided on a short black miniskirt, black stockings and suspenders, high heels and a white blouse, a long blonde wig, jewellery and make-up.'  

Jurors heard that Mahmudd arrived at the one bedroom flat in Stockwell, south west London, at around 7.30pm on the night of March 1 this year.

Mr Gadsden continued: 'Mr Poleglase offered the defendant a bottle of wine when he came into the flat, as a way of, as it were, breaking the ice between them.

'Whilst in the kitchen, the defendant became sexually aroused, and Mr Poleglase, dressed as I have described, gave him oral sex.

'They then went into the living room, where Adrian Poleglase assumed they would be joining in some bondage behaviour.'

The court heard Mr Poleglase allowed Mahmudd to blindfold him and tie his hands with sticky tape, but that the defendant then left him alone and went into the kitchen.

Mr Gadsden said: 'He heard the defendant rummaging through drawers, including ones where knives were kept.

'He came back in and said: "I've got a knife, lie down on the floor."'  The victim did as he was told, and heard the defendant unplug his computer, the court heard.

Mahmudd then ordered him to hand over his valuables, and forced him to tell him the pin number for his cards.

When Poleglase tried to escape, the court heard Mahmudd then stabbed his victim seven times and left him lying in a pool of blood, pausing as he fled with his victim's cards and laptop to set fire to the flat.

Mr Poleglase managed to call the emergency services.

Mr Gadsden said: 'A firefighter described Mr Poleglase as being in a very, very bad way, with wounds everywhere, especially a deep one in his chest area, and his whole body was red.

'We say it's obvious that had the emergency services not arrived when they did, the outcome would have been very different for the unfortunate Mr Poleglase, and that this defendant would not have been here charged with attempted murder, but with murder.'

Mr Poleglase told the court he feared for his life when the kinky sex game turned violent.

'I thought it was serious because when I heard him rustling in the knife drawer I knew he was coming back with a knife,' said Mr Poleglase.

'I knew I couldn't escape. My choice was to go on with whatever he was going to demand of me.'

'I decided he was going to kill me, so I thought I had got to get out of here now.

'The next recollection was feeling I had been stabbed. I could feel wetness on my body and Mr Ahmed had made movements towards my body.'  

Mr Poleglase, who works in procurement for the Ministry of Justice later told the court how he received threatening emails from his guest after leaving hospital.

Ahmed claims Mr Poleglase pulled out a knife on him and ordered him to have sex.

Asked if he had made the defendant strip at knifepoint Mr Poleglase said: 'That's not true.'

Jurors also heard that Mahmudd later withdrew £700 from Mr Poleglase's bank accounts, using the stolen credit cards.

Mahmudd, of 11 Napier Road, Enfield, Middlesex, denies attempted murder and arson with intent to endanger life.

The trial continues.

Imatra Vicar Plans Gender Reassignment Surgery

13 Nov 2008- Finland- A local Imatra vicar's announcement that he plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery is forcing the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church to take a stance on sex change.

The minister, Olli Aalto, who is taking a temporary leave of absence, intends to begin hormone treatments. After this, he will undergo surgery and physically become a woman.

Voitto Huotari, the bishop of the local Mikkeli diocese, says Aalto can no longer continue in his job. Aalto considers this view to be blatantly discriminatory.

Aalto says he has been encouraged to leave the Church. However, firing him would break equality law. Aalto says he's considering taking the Church to court if he is expelled from his job.

"Pressuring me to leave is already discrimination," says Aalto.

Aalto says he is tired of leading a double life. He says extensive studies have diagnosed him as a transsexual. Aalto says the Church has a responsibility to provide work for someone who has been a faithful servant.

Huotari will pay a visit to Aalto next week to discuss whether his decision to change genders will affect his future in the Church.

The Church, which is already now struggling with falling membership rates and disputes over women ministers, is now left grappling with yet an other burning issue.

Moscow Gay Pride Group Appeals to French and EU Presidents on Eve of EU-Russia Summit

13 Nov 2008- Moscow, Russia- The group of gay activists who organise Moscow Pride has written to the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso ahead of the European Union-Russia ‘summit’ which opens in Nice tomorrow (November 14).

France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The activists are asking that the European Union discusses the human rights issue in Russia with President Dmitry Medvedev during the summit, which is expected to focus mainly on the Medvedev-Sarkozy six-point plan of August 12, 2008, which was designed to solve last summer’s crisis between Russia and Georgia.  The summit is also expected to further discuss the proposed EU-Russia basic treaty which is set to replace the 1997 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

“Freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and freedom of association is breached every day by Russian authorities,” says the letter from the gay activists to Presidents Sarkozy and Barroso.

“Russian gays have no other rights than silence.  We refuse this silence.”

The activists also point out that they have been denied permission to conduct a gay pride march, demanding equal rights for sexual minorities, every year since May 2006.

“The mayor of Moscow considers such marches as satanic,” says the letter.

By the end of the year, activists will have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg all of the 164 banned gay marches that they attempted to organise in Russia over the last three years.

“We demand you to remind Russian authorities that EU should ask all its partners to respect essential human rights,” conclude the activists.

From Finland with lust

03 Nov 2008- The first time I saw a Tom of Finland drawing was in a well-thumbed, seventh-hand issue of Fiesta, a top-shelf favourite of schoolboys in the 1970s. The image, buried at the back, was in a small ad for more “specialised” publications. But it jumped out at me like an outsized erection.

It depicted a pair of muscular butch young men with big chins and broad grins grabbing each other's bubble butts and straining packets while winking at the reader. I immediately rushed out to the post office to buy as many postal orders as my pocket money would allow.

Although I was sorely disappointed with the lame leather gay fetish magazine with no Tom of Finland drawings that eventually turned up, I have spent much of my adult life and a fortune on gym membership trying to recreate that Tom of Finland image that I glimpsed as a teen.

I needn't have bothered, however, because as it turned out the whole world was going to become a Tom of Finland drawing. His sensualised, cartoonish über-male body and its endless potential for pleasure and pleasuring have become as common as, well, shameless hussies. Think of the rugby player Austin Healey pulsating on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing in tight pants and a sleeveless top. Or all those footballers keen to strip off and show us their assets on the sides of buses.

The notes for artist retrospectives usually make extravagant claims, and those for a major retrospective of Tom of Finland in Liverpool, part of that city's annual Homotopia queer culture festival, make some very extravagant ones indeed: “Tom had an effect on global culture unmatched by that of virtually any other artist,” we are told. But for once, there's something to this hyperbole, despite the artistic merit of his work being very debatable.

Tom was born Touko Laaksonen in Kaarina, Finland, in 1920, and his work is literally the masturbatory fantasies of a lonely young homosexual Finnish boy - he began drawing in his bedroom in the 1940s. His fetishised, overobserved gay appropriation of masculinity has in a mediated long-distance world become... masculinity.

It's often said that Tom's greatest achievement was in drawing gay men who were masculine, happy and proud at a time when they were supposed to be effeminate, neurotic and shameful. This is certainly the reason why so many gay men are Tom devotees, wittingly or not. Today's gay porn is merely footnotes to Tom, endlessly replaying the narrative of “regular guys” with very irregular-sized penises and pectorals having spontaneous, shameless sex at the drop of a monkey wrench.

The out-and-proud gay biker look - identity even - that Tom perfected after seeing Marlon Brando in The Wild One (Brando was a Tom drawing brought to life) and which became so popular in the pre-Aids 1970s and early 1980s, reaching its peak with the success of the Liverpool band Frankie Goes to Hollywood, has become a cliché - see, for example, the tangoing, mustachioed leather men in the Blue Oyster basement bar in Police Academy - and few if any young gay men today aspire to it.

But when you look at Tom's drawings in this retrospective, which features 25 of his works in a basement (predictably), it becomes apparent that his achievement goes much further than just making gay men feel good about themselves or love the snugness of leather harnesses. Tom, who worked as an illustrator in the Finnish advertising business until the early 1970s, when he became a full-time gay propagandist, sold the male body as a pleased, pleasuring and pleasured thing several decades before Calvin Klein thought of it. In the middle of the 20th century, Tom was effectively sketching the blueprint of 21st-century man. And boy, was he blue.

Before Tom no one drew men like he did, making them such unabashed sex objects and sex subjects, giving them such exaggerated male secondary - and primary! - sexual characteristics: big chins, strong jaws, full lips. Masculinity, and virility end up looking so... scrumptious. Buxom. Busty. Tom's men have round firm breasts, saucer-like aureolas and nipples you can adjust your thermostat with. One (from 1962) struts down the street, biceps bulging, chest out, and dressing very much to the left: no wonder he's being followed. And while Tom's men had their tits out for the lads, the kind of male body he helped to invent is nowadays getting them out for lads and lasses, gay or straight.

Tom's drawings also reveal the male derrière as a sexual organ: not just in some of the more hardcore examples, but the way that Tom-ish buttocks are so spherical, so inviting. One of the most striking and prescient sketches, from 1981, is also one of the tamest: a row of bedenimed male bubble butts sticking out at a bar - awaiting perhaps the attentions of the hugely powerful Abercrombie & Fitch photographer Bruce Weber (a big Tom fan), or perhaps a Levi's commercial.

Tom's big break came in the 1950s from Physique Pictorial, an underground, semi-legal gay American fanzine disguised as a straight men's bodybuilding magazine, which frequently put Tom's men on the cover. Half a century later, and 17 years after his death in 1991, the world is inverted: flesh-and-blood men who look like Tom's drawings appear on the cover of bestselling corporate mags such as Men's Health. Flick one open, and you'll find it full of advice on how straight men can turn themselves into something Tom-ish.

Tom of Finland is at the Contemporary Urban Centre, Greenland St, Liverpool 8 (0151-708 3510; www.homotopia.net), until Nov 30

03 Nov 2008- The British comedian, who is working on a film based on Bruno, a flamboyant character featured on his breakthrough television series Da Ali G Show, joined demonstrators near Los Angeles City Hall on Sunday.

Cohen donned a blond wig for the appearance as he mingled with demonstrators marching in support of Proposition 8, a measure on the ballot that would overturn a state supreme court ruling made earlier this year that allowed gay marriage.

When photographers and reporters at the rally realised who Cohen was and tried to approach the comedian, members of his film crew attempted to shield him before eventually ushering him to a van that whisked him away.

The appearance is the latest in a series of gate-crashing stunts by Cohen, presumably staged for his new film which has the working title Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male.

It is being shot in the same documentary style as his 2006 hit Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, in which Cohen played a journalist from Kazakhstan.

Last month, the 37-year-old Cambridge graduate - dressed as Bruno - was thrown out of a Paris fashion show after climbing on to the catwalk and trying to hand a note to the models.

Earlier he disrupted shows in Madrid and was taken away by security guards after storming the runway dressed in a large black cape during Milan Fashion Week in September.

Malaysian police detain 70 in gay sex party raids

02 Nov 2008- Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian police have detained more than 70 male sex workers and their customers when they raided four parties in progress Saturday evening, a news report said Sunday.

Police teams from the northern Penang state launched raids on four separate locations including a massage parlour and a fitness centre, resulting in the detention of the 28 local men including a Chinese national, aged between 20 and 40, and their customers, state police chief Gan Kong Meng said.

"The case had been classified as an act of gross indecency under Section 377D of the Penal Code" said Gan, adding that some of the customers were from Europe and the United States.

It was believed that some of the men were still undressed during the surprise raids with several used condoms found strewn all over the floor of the premises, the Star daily reported.

Police have also seized some pornographic materials, lubricating jelly and boxes of condoms at the scene. Police have also confirmed that the owners of the premises will be charged for being involved in vice.

Stonewall launches Britain’s largest recruitment guide for gay jobseekers

30 0ct 2008- London, England- Stonewall today launched the fourth and biggest edition of Starting Out, Britain’s national lesbian and gay recruitment guide.

The guide, now featuring 325 potential employers, is designed for discerning graduates and job-seekers and is targeted at the 150,000 lesbian, gay and bisexual students in Britain.

“Attracting and retaining the very best staff, regardless of background, is now a fundamental part of business strategy for British companies wanting to remain market leaders, and public sector organisations striving to provide world-class public services,” said Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive.

20,000 hard copies of Starting Out are being distributed to Students’ Unions, University Careers Services, Employment Agencies and University Lesbian and Gay Societies and secondary schools across Britain.  The guide is also available online HERE.

Once again, the guide has once again been sponsored by Credit Suisse.

Anita Harper, EMEA co-head of diversity and inclusion at Credit Suisse, said she was delighted at the partnership.

“Credit Suisse has a strong diversity and inclusion programme and actively fosters a positive working environment for its gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender staff,” she said.

A launch event, attended by students from across Britain and also supported by Credit Suisse, is being held at the University of London Union (ULU).

“Starting Out showcases those employers who work hard to develop and maintain a culture in which differing abilities and backgrounds are fostered and valued in the workplace,” commented ULU president Kamran Ansari.

“Equality is at the heart of many of our campaigns and we welcome the chance to work alongside organisations such as Stonewall.”

David Shields, director of Workplace Programmes at Stonewall, said that the guide aims to connect graduates and job seekers with progressive employers who value people for their difference and the talents they bring.

“All employers are members of our Diversity Champions programme representing a wide range of careers.  Being in the guide speaks volumes of their commitment to equality which, in turn, is a key factor for discerning job seekers in making their career choices.”

New entries in this year’s guide include those from Rockpools, ITV and Thomson Reuters, The Law Society of England and Wales, NHS Employers and the Army, which now results in the inclusion of all three armed forces.

“I feel that Starting Out is essential for all graduates and job seekers in identifying employers who understand equality and diversity,” said Natasha Gamble, an MA student at the University of London.

“This is important as it ensures that your skills and experience will be valued, regardless of background, in a supportive and safe environment. I have found this can have a great impact on the way you feel within your job and supports you in achieving your potential.”

30 Oct 2008-  London, England- The BBC today denied it had been "homophobic" after a complaint was made to police about an episode of Have I Got News For You.

The complaint was made about an extended edition of the programme, broadcast over the weekend.

A discussion was taking place over reports that Iranians had failed in a bid to create to the world's biggest ostrich sandwich.

"On the plus side they do still hold the record for hanging homosexuals," guest host Alexander Armstrong said.

In a pun on words, comedian Frank Skinner joked that homosexuals are often "ostracised".

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed: "A member of the public has made a complaint regarding comments made in the programme.

"The complaint is currently being reviewed."

The BBC defended the current affairs show as crisis talks were being held by the BBC Trust into the prank phone calls made to Andrew Sachs by Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand for a Radio 2 show.

A BBC spokeswoman insisted that rather than being homophobic, the intention was quite the opposite.

She said: "The presenter never intended for this comment to be homophobic - quite the opposite.

"Viewers are more than familiar with HIGNFY use of satire - in this instance aimed at the Iranian regime and not the Iranian gay community."

Armstrong has recently been hotly tipped to take over as the new Countdown presenter, something he was ribbed about on the BBC show.

PinkNews.co.uk quoted a man named Lionel Wright from London, who said he had put in complaints about the matter to various bodies including the police.

He said: "I'm a middle-aged gay man who, in common with millions of others lived the first decades of my life under the shadow of prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities and at a cost in personal happiness and fulfilment."

He said he was "sickened" at the BBC.

But rights campaigner Peter Tatchell disagreed.

"I appreciate the complainant's concerns and good intentions but I interpreted it as an anti-Iran joke, exposing and mocking Iran's murderous homophobic regime," he told the website.

"It was parody and satire, I think, not an endorsement of executions."

Gay group appeals over drowning

28 Oct 2008- Manchester, England- Anyone who may have information about the death of a man in a Manchester canal is being encouraged to speak to the Lesbian and Gay Foundation (LGF).
Alexander Lynch, 46, known as Jimmy, drowned in the canal near to Ducie Street and Dale Street on 3 October.
The area is sometimes used for men looking for sex with other men, and police realise some witnesses may not want to be indentified.

Detectives are urging those who want to remain anonymous to go through the LGF.

Anonymity promise

Det Supt Julian Ross, of Greater Manchester Police's major incident team, said: "We understand there may have been people in the area who may not feel comfortable talking to us about why they were there or what they saw.

"The LGF can act as an intermediary between the witnesses and the police. "They will be able to collect information and pass it on to police, if necessary keeping the witness anonymous."

The LGF organisation, based on Princess Street, said anyone who comes forward with information would be helping the safety of Manchester's lesbian, gay and bisexual communities.

The police and the LGF said any information received would be treated sensitively.

Gay and group sex approved by court

23 Oct 2008- Istanbul, Turkey-  A suspect caught selling films of group and gay sex was judged by an Istanbul court not to have been selling material portraying “unnatural sex” and was sentenced only for sale of illegal pornographic material.

The Turkish Penal Code demands higher penalties for the sale of movies that include “unnatural” intercourse. The court sentenced the suspect on the lesser charge of selling pornographic films in an illegal location.

The verdict referred to the principles of privacy and equality from the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights. Previous verdicts of the European Court of Human Rights and the Council of Europe were also noted by the court.

The referenced verdict of European court said, “Even if it shocks or brings discomfort to some members of society, gay intercourse between consenting adults is not criminal.”

In its verdict, the Istanbul court said: “Most European countries have given gay relationships the equivalence of marriage, and in Holland gay marriages were made legal a few years back. In a world of modern societies, it is not possible to say intercourse among members of the same sex is unnatural.”

The verdict also read: “Since the action happens in private places and does not include children it is not criminal. The term ‘unnatural sexual behavior' should be seen from a narrow perspective; otherwise there is the risk of judging every sexual relationship outside of certain limitations unnatural. It is without doubt that the images are eccentric. Although this kind of sexual activity is not common in societies, it is a fact that in every society collective sexual relationships exist.”  

 
23 Oct 2008- Austria-  Jörg Haider, governor of Austria’s Carinthia province and a leader among far-right European politicians, crashed his car and died after leaving a gay bar in the city of Klagenfurt Oct. 11. Police said his blood-alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit for driving.

Haider, 58, was married with children, though rumors had swirled for years that he was secretly gay. He had been outed by gay activists and newspapers that included Britain’s The Guardian, Germany’s Die Tageszeitung and Austria’s Der Standard. Britain’s Telegraph said Haider’s “charismatic populism was instrumental in moving anti-immigrant politics from Europe’s fringes towards the mainstream and breaking the grip on government of established centrist parties which he said had lost touch with the people.”

From 2000 to 2002, the Freedom Party, which Haider briefly headed during that period, was half of a governing coalition in Austria. Critics viewed Haider as an ultranationalist, extremist, racist xenophobe. In 1995, the U.S. Anti-Defamation League accused him of making “numerous statements utilizing Holocaust terminology or legitimizing Nazi policy and activities.” Haider routinely disparaged the European Union, of which Austria is a member.

Portuguese Parliament Rejects Same-Sex Marriage
Two draft laws to legalize same-sex marriage were rejected overwhelmingly by the Portuguese Parliament on Oct. 10. The measures, proposed by the Left Bloc and the Green Party, were opposed by the governing Socialist Party, the Social Democratic Party and the People’s Party. The Left Bloc bill also would have allowed same-sex couples to adopt. The Green Party bill would not have. Bloc and Green MPs abstained from voting on each other’s bills.

During the vote, gay rights groups staged two “weddings” in a Parliament stairway, attracting wide media coverage. The ruling Socialists have said they will not support same-sex marriage until there is a broad national debate on the matter.

“Given that one of the main arguments of the (Socialists) to vote against the proposed amendments was that (same-sex marriage) was not in (their) election program, difficult times in the struggle for equality in access to civil marriage are expected in Portugal,” said the news portal PortugalGay.pt.

A recent public-opinion poll found 42 percent support for same-sex marriage and 53 percent opposition. Portugal has a de facto partnership law that grants limited rights to unmarried couples who have lived together for more than two years, in areas such as income tax, tenancy and immigration.

Norwegian Church Will Not Marry Gays When Law Takes Effect
Norway will become the seventh nation to grant same-sex couples access to full marriage in January, but the dominant Church of Norway will not marry gays, the state church’s bishops said Oct. 8. Pastors will be permitted to offer prayers for gay couples who get married but may not bless them, the bishops said.

Same-sex marriage also is allowed in Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, South Africa, Spain and, in the U.S., California, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Officials In Tambov, Russia, Block Gay Events
After initially giving a verbal OK, city officials in Tambov, Russia, reversed course and officially blocked the city’s first planned gay demonstrations Oct. 9. City Hall decided the city’s residents did not approve of the events (a demonstration and a march), that police couldn’t secure them and that they would cause traffic troubles.

Moscow activist Nikolai Alekseev, who was involved in planning the actions, said the decision violates the Russian Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights, and that organizers will pursue legal redress.

Earlier this year, Tambov Mayor Oleg Betin reportedly said: “Tolerance? To hell! Faggots should be torn apart and their pieces thrown to the wind.” Tambov is about 300 miles (500 km) southeast of Moscow and has a population of about 292,000.

Head Of British Army Addresses Gay Conference
The head of Britain’s army, Gen. Richard Dannatt, chief of the general staff, made history by addressing a gay conference in London Oct. 9, The Sunday Telegraph reported. In remarks to the Fourth Joint Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual Matters, Dannatt said that respecting GLBT officers and soldiers is “a command responsibility” that is mandatory to ensure “operational effectiveness.”

“We have made real progress in our understanding of equality and diversity in the military context, and there is a desire to achieve more yet,” he said. “Respect for others is not an optional extra, it is a command responsibility and an essential part of leadership, teamwork and operational effectiveness.”

Britain’s armed forces lifted their gay ban in 2000 on orders from the European Court of Human Rights.

Dutch Men On Trial For Deliberate HIV Transmission
Three men from Groningen, Netherlands, are on trial for deliberately infecting at least 12 other men with HIV, several news agencies reported. Hans Jurgens, 39, Peter Mulder, 50, and Wim Dekker, 49, allegedly advertised gay sex parties online, lured participants to their location, then drugged them, raped them and injected them with HIV-positive blood.

Prosecutors want the trio to be jailed for between eight and 15 years.

Polish Gay March OK’d, Then Banned
Officials in Krakow, Poland, OK’d an Oct. 31 gay march, then turned around and banned it after Polish President Lech Kaczynski announced plans to attend a celebration of the anniversary of Krakow’s independence the same day. Gay groups planned to march to the grave of King Wladyslaw III, who they claim was gay, on the anniversary of his death.

City officials had said they were fine with the two events occurring simultaneously but, after Kaczynski’s announcement, they banned all other street events and demonstrations for the day and said the king’s grave would be closed. “It is hard to say (if) Kaczynski (is) in Krakow to ban our march or just to be part of Krakow’s event,” said activist Lukasz Palucki. “Information about our meeting was in the biggest Polish media so I am sure he knew about our march.”

In 2007, gay pride organizers in Warsaw won a European Court of Human Rights case against Kaczynski, who, as mayor of Warsaw, banned the 2005 pride parade.

Kaczynski has said that if homosexuality “were to be promoted on a grand scale, the human race would disappear” and that he opposes “propagating gay orientation.”

'Gay sex ordeal in doctor's surgery'

22 Oct 2008- An asylum seeker blackmailed a GP after claiming that he woke up to a gay sex ordeal in his surgery, the General Medical Council heard.

The Ghanaian patient, who can't be named, fell into a trance as Dr Lewis Dickinson, 53, gave him a massage at his practice in Camberwell.

But when he came to he found the doctor holding a massaging machine in one hand and the patient's private parts in the other, the hearing was told.

Anxious not to endanger his immigration status, Patient A made another appointment instead of going to the police.

He recorded his next visit to the GP, when Dickinson mentioned something in relation to the alleged assault.

Patient A confronted the doctor with his evidence, and he agreed to pay the patient - who was HIV positive - £100 a week for the rest of his life to keep him quiet, the hearing was told.

When the doctor stopped paying two and a half years later, the patient pressed charges.

But the case against the doctor was thrown out because of a lack of evidence and Patient A was hauled to court to face blackmail charges.

Dickinson, who was based at 90 Wyndham Road, Camberwell, is accused of massaging a patient without either consent or gloves and masturbating Patient A.

He is also accused of failing to ensure Patient A’s dignity and privacy were preserved.

The doctor also faces charges of failing a series of assessments.

The hearing continues.

 
22 Oct 2008- London, England- Noisy lesbian club meetings are among a catalogue of complaints giving sleepless nights to neighbours of a busy King's Cross gay pub.

Central Station, in Wharfedale Road, stays open until 5am on weekends and regularly hosts cabaret, karaoke and striptease nights, as well as meetings of a lesbian club on Tuesdays until 3am.

But noisy punters on the pub's roof terrace have been giving residents a headache since the smoking ban.

Neighbour Eleanor Dowling, of Balfe Street, told a town hall licensing meeting: "We've had considerable trouble with noise since July 2007. It has caused a lot of residents a lot of disturbance."

Sophie Talbot, of Battlebridge Court, added: "It would be great to see conditions placed on this licence go some way to remove the problems between Central Station and the community."

Islington Council granted the pub a new licence on Monday - but ordered that the roof terrace be shut at 11pm until owners Duncan Irvine and Martin Mason could afford to have it soundproofed.

Mr Irvine said: "We've worked hard for 17 years trying to run a good venue and get on with neighbours. We've had a late licence for 15 years and the problems have been since the smoking ban. The terrace was an area where people can smoke. If you shut it at 11pm people would complain about people on the street."

Mr Mason warned they could not afford soundproofing until next summer or to have bouncers on the door every night to control smokers and unlicensed taxis.

He said: "We agreed on Thursday, Friday and Saturdays but on other nights we can't afford it - security is expensive. Tuesday nights is a meeting of a lesbian club and unfortunately women's voices carry more than men's because of the pitch."

Earlier Mr Irvine argued that an independent acoustic report had found most of the noise heard in neighbours' homes came from passing traffic.

Central Station reopened in September after the company holding the previous licence went bust in July.

Italian gay celebrity calls Putin sexiest man alive

20 Oct 2008- At home, Vladimir Putin is seen as macho. In Italy, a gay celebrity is calling him the sexiest man in the world.

Alfonso Signorini, a Canale 5 TV show host and the editor of two popular glossy weeklies, is causing waves after he described Putin as his "erotic dream" in an interview published late last week with leading Italian newspaper La Stampa.

Signorini, who is openly gay, was asked who is the sexiest Italian man. He replied that he didn't know, but added, "In the world, this is certainly Vladimir Putin.

"When I saw his naked torso and a slain Siberian tiger lying at his feet, I almost had a stroke. Won-der-ful!" Signorini said in a reference to Putin's much-photographed shirtless fishing trip in Siberia last year and an incident recently when Putin shot a tiger with a tranquilizer gun, putting it to sleep but not killing it.

"He is my erotic dream. I find him absolutely astonishing," Signorini said by telephone Friday from Milan. "I'm attracted by his charisma and his icy glance."

The comments could embarrass both the Italian and Russian governments.

Signorini said he had asked Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to introduce him to Putin and Berlusconi laughed in response. The magazines that Signorini edits, TV Sorrisi e Canzoni and Chi, with a circulation of 1 million and 500,000, respectively, are published by Berlusconi's publishing house Mondadori, and Canale 5 also belongs to Berlusconi's Mediaset Group.

"Berlusconi talked to me about him with enthusiasm. He told me how he was his guest at his country home," he said by telephone. "My dream is to meet him."

Signorini's praise for Putin was reported Friday on the web site of Russia Today, the state-owned English-language satellite channel, but the article later was removed. No one at Russia Today or the White House, where Putin serves as prime minister, was available for comment.

Berlusconi and Putin are close friends. Putin and his family have been guests of Berlusconi at his summer residence in Sardinia several times. In the summer of 2002, Putin's two daughters spent a month at Berlusconi's villa. The following summer, the entire family visited. Berlusconi also has defended Putin against international criticism. In 2003, he called criticism of Russia's actions in Chechnya and the detention of Mikhail Khodorkovsky on fraud charges, "distortions in the press, in Italy as abroad," and recently he defended Russia's actions in South Ossetia.

Some Italian media, meanwhile, are giving prominent coverage to Signorini. "The director of Chi and TV Sorrisi e Canzoni unveils his passion for the prime minister and former secret agent," headlined the Italian web site Gay.it, putting Signorini's picture close to a picture of a bare-chested Putin.

Putin, 56, made international headlines last year when he stripped off his shirt for the cameras while vacationing in the Siberian mountains. The photos were prominently enshrined on the Kremlin web site. Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote that women who visited the web site "were screaming with delight and showering him with a lot of compliments."

Putin's photos have struck a chord among the Russian gay chat rooms and blogs as well.

Signorini told Gay.it that Berlusconi was tolerant toward gays.

Putin told a news conference last year that he also was tolerant toward gays, saying he respected "man's freedoms, whatever forms they take."

18 Oct 2008- Cardiff, Wales- ONE of Wales’ most popular family swimming pools is being targeted by gay men cruising for sex, we can reveal today.

Wales on Sunday has discovered that the £32m Cardiff International Pool, which opened in Cardiff Bay earlier this year, is just one of many family hotspots named on an online “community” website where homosexuals meet up for no-strings-attached sex.

Some members of Wales’ gay community last night expressed their concern about such venues featuring on cruising websites. Their comments come just weeks after police were called to the pool when two swimmers walked in on men having sex on the premises.

Squirt.org, founded in 1998, has 560,677 online members and boasts it is the best and biggest cruising community on the net.

The site names the most popular places to “cruise” in Wales and gives the popular pool a four out of five rating.

Parks such as Swansea’s Coedgwilym Park, beaches such as Llandulas in Colwyn Bay and even a Merthyr Tydfil war memorial and the Big Pit car park in Blaenavon, are also featured on the site, which gives tips on the best time to cruise and how much nudity to expect.

Cruising tips for the pool include: “Use the jacuzzi, sauna, shower rooms in men’s lockers. All lots of cruising. The shower block in the gym changing area has a partially clear door so you can see who is opposite you in the shower.”

And several site members boasted of their conquests at the pool, with another promising: “Group changing rooms at end of swimming pool changing area – I’ll be waiting for you in one of these with door open later on this evening.”

One gay pool user, who voiced his concerns after finding the listing on the website, last night told Wales on Sunday: “I regularly take my nephew swimming on Sundays and was a bit alarmed by the pool being on this site.”

The man, who did not wish to be named, added: “I don’t want my nephew walking in on something like that so I reported it to the manager.

“It’s not just the fact that it’s public. There are children there.”

Jo Smith, senior manager at the pool, said security measures had been taken to stop any offences being committed at the pool.

“Obviously we are alarmed by this. It’s certainly not a tag we want to be associated with,” she said.

“We have had one incident reported about two weeks ago which was immediately reported to the police.”

She added: “If we were to find anyone committing any lewd activities then we would look to prosecute. ”

Meanwhile Mike Smith, a prominent spokesman for Wales’ gay community, said he feared public incidents could lead to homophobic attacks.

He said: “While much has changed in society some gay men still feel the need to keep their sexuality concealed and meet other men anonymously.

“Our main concerns are for the safety of anyone who feels this need – for their health in ensuring they do not indulge unsafe sex and do not become victims to homophobic attacks – and also for the public, whether gay or straight, who should not encounter such behaviour, again whether involving gay people or heterosexuals.”

Women who like to watch gay porn
 

15 Oct 2008- Watching Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal rolling around in a tent in Ang Lee's groundbreaking Brokeback Mountain had knees trembling all over the world. Many of those lustily quivering weren't gay romantics but women. 'Who knew man-on-man action could be so beautiful?' they cried.

Although some women have been in on the secret for a while (Japan's female population lap up boy-love comics while slash fiction, which turns two male characters from cult TV shows into lovers, is mainly for women), us British girls have been lagging behind. Until now.

Leading gay fiction author James Lear, recently named Writer of the Year at the prestigious Erotic Awards, has seen a sharp rise in British women getting to grips with boy-only sex. His first book, The Back Passage (ahem) was more popular with women than men and his new novel, The Secret Tunnel, looks like it will repeat the same success.

'As one female fan put it: "One penis is good, two even better,"' he explains. 'They fancy men, they're turned on by men and so they're even more turned on by men with men - it's like "man squared".'

06 Oct 2008- UK- MP Chris Bryant who famously sent a photo of himself wearing only Y-fronts to a gay dating website has been appointed Deputy Leader of the Commons.

Mr Bryant takes up his new role five years after the uproar over the picture.

The former Church of England vicar weathered the storm and became renowned as one of Tony Blair’s most slavish supporters.

But two years ago he stunned Westminster by joining the “curry house coup” where allies of Gordon Brown forced Mr Blair to name the date of his departure. Mr Bryant was accused of turning on the then PM because he had not been made a minister.

His appointment as Commons leader Harriet Harman’s deputy will be seen by many MPs as a reward for his role in the plot.

There are also jobs for two other “curry house coup” plotters. Kevan Jones becomes a junior defence minister, while Sion Simon is appointed a junior universities minister.

Former Conservative MP Quentin Davies, who defected to Labour the day before Mr Brown took office, gets a junior post in defence.

Russian Authorities Shut Down Gay Film Festival

03 Oct 2008- St Petersburg, Russia- Authorities in Saint Petersburg, Russia have effectively shut down the first-ever gay film festival there as it was set to open Thursday.

The Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival was scheduled to open on Thursday, but now appears postponed at best after fire department inspectors closed the clubs (The Place and Sochi) where the films were to be screened, festival organizer Irina Sergeeva told gayrussia.ru.

It's believed that authorities also pressured the state-run Cinema House and a private theater to cancel their commitments to host the event, which pushed the event into bars and clubs.

The gay film festival has been controversial in a country where gays and lesbians continue to be marginalized. State Artist of Russia Nikoli Burlyaev had urged authorities to ban the festival, calling gays “perverts” and “ill.”

“Russian authorities continue their policy of homophobia and arbitrary unlawful actions by preventing events organized behind closed doors in private places,” said gay activist Nikolai Alekseev, whose Moscow Gay Pride Festival has been denied by authorities as well.

“From the very first day I supported the conduct of this film festival in Saint Petersburg, but already in February I expressed my fears that the authorities will stop the event on technical reasons at the very last minute.”

“The only major LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender] event that could be organized over the last years in Russia are the May 2006 and May 2007 LGBT conference that were held during the Moscow Pride Festival at the Moscow Swissotel. And still, it is only because we booked conference rooms in a local 5-star hotel belonging to foreign interests that authorities were not able to play the same game with us,” Alekseev said.

Openly gay director/actor John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Shortbus), who was scheduled to appear at Sunday's closing ceremonies, feared violence threatened the gay festival. “We're still concerned about skinheads,” Mitchell said before leaving the United States.

Organizers of the gay film festival said it was unlikely the event would take place as planned, but hoped to reschedule at a later date.

Iran admits it has gay people…but only a few says President Ahmadinejad

30 Sept 2008- Iran- The Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has done an astonishing volte-face by admitting in a US television interview last week that there are lesbian and gay people in Iran.

Only last year, in a speech at Columbia University in New York, he notoriously claimed there were no lesbians and gays in his country.

“We do not have this phenomenon,” he declared.

Last week, however, Ahmadinejad grudgingly conceded there “might be a few” gay people in Iran.

“This about-turn shows that Iran realises its gay-denial stance has been widely condemned and ridiculed,” said Peter Tatchell of the London-based LGBT human rights campaign group OutRage!, which has been campaigning in support of Iranian LGBT people for nearly 20 years.

“The fact that the President has moderated his ‘no gays’ position since last year is evidence that global gay protests are having an impact on the regime in Tehran,” Mr Tatchell said last night.

However, although Ahmadinejad has conceded the existence of gay Iranians, he went on to make it clear that he doesn’t approve of their existence one iota.

He denounced homosexuality as an “unlikable and foreign act” that is illegal because it is “against our values, and all divine laws….shakes the foundations of society….robs humanity….(and) brings about disease”.

The Iranian President made these remarks during his visit to New York to speak to the UN General Assembly last week.  He was interviewed on  September 24 by reporters Juan Gonzalez and Amy Goodman from the US current affairs TV programme, Democracy Now.

In the same TV interview, Ahmadinejad made this astonishing claim: “Sure, if somebody engages in an [homosexual] act in their own house without being known to others, we don't pay any attention to that.  People are free to do what they like in their private realms.  But nobody can engage in what breaks the law in public,” the President said.

“This is complete nonsense,” Peter Tatchell insisted.

“Iranian law stipulates the death penalty for homosexuality, whether in public or private.

“People suspected of being gay have their homes raided.  Private, discreet gay parties have been busted by the police and the party-goers arrested, tortured and flogged.

“Years ago, some of those arrested at private parties simply disappeared.  They were never seen again.  It is presumed they were secretly executed,” said Mr Tatchell.

When Gonzales and Goodman confronted Ahmadinejad with photos of two Iranian teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, who were hanged in July 2005, his reply showed either remarkable ignorance of Iranian law or wilful dishonesty:

“No, there is no law for their [gays] execution in Iran.  Either they were drug traffickers or they killed someone else…. So, we don’t have executions of homosexuals,” the President said in the interview.

“Of course, we consider it an abhorrent act, but it is not punished through capital punishment.  It’s basically an immoral act.  There are a lot of acts that can be immoral, but there's no capital punishment for them,” said the President.

Mr Tatchell said that “this claim is factually untrue”.

“None of the charges against Asgari and Marhoni involved drug trafficking or murder.

“In years gone past, the Iranian government proudly boasted that it had the death penalty for gay sex and that it publicly hanged gay people,” Mr Tatchell added.

“These latest statements by Ahmadinejad are much more defensive,” he suggested.

“He strenuously denies that gay people can face execution.  This shows that the regime no longer has the confidence to openly proclaim its violent homophobia.  The persecution of gays continues in Iran but now, unlike before, the regime seeks to hide it and deny it.

“This is strong evidence that the homophobic dictatorship in Tehran has been stung by international protests against its flogging and hanging of men involved in same-sex relations.  It realises this persecution has been a public relations disaster which has greatly harmed Iran's international image.

“Hence the current denials by Ahmadinejad.

“It is proof that the global protests against Iran’s persecution of lesbian and gay people have been effective.  We must maintain the worldwide campaign until Iran is so embarrassed by international condemnation that it completely halts the victimisation of gays,” added Mr Tatchell.

Elsewhere in their interview with the Iranian President, Goodman and Gonzales pressed him as to why Iran is one of the few countries in the world that still executes juveniles (Asgari and Marhoni were minors when they allegedly committed the acts for which they were hanged).

Ahmadinejad replied: “The legal age in Iran is different from yours.  If a person who happens to be 17 years old and 9 months kills one of your relatives, would you just overlook that?”

Russian Gay Film Fest

30 Sept 2008- Russia- A scheduled gay and lesbian themed film festival in St. Petersburg, Russia has produced a wave of criticism and controversy.

The first-ever Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival, scheduled to open in October, has had its share of detractors. Nikolai Burov, head of St. Petersburg's Committee on Culture, said he would neither interfere nor support the festival.

Harsher words were expressed by State Artist of Russia Nikolai Burlyaev, who urged authorities to ban the festival, calling gays “perverts” and “ill.”

With the recent announcement of a venue change from theaters to bars and clubs, it seems those brass-knuckle tactics have worked to some degree.

Openly gay director/actor John Cameron Mitchell (Shortbus) said violence continues to threaten the gay festival, “We're still concerned about skinheads.”

Whether you like it or not, Mitchell will be present at the festival's closing night, which will feature his 2001 gay boy-to-transsexual rock odyssey Hedwig and the Angry Inch – a classic for any gay fest!

A selection of more contemporary gay and lesbian themed feature films will also be screened at the four-day event. Including director Lucia Puenzo's daring film about an intersex teenage girl asked to decide on her sex.

'XXY' is the story of Alex.  Raised a girl her entire life, she possesses both male and female sets of reproductive organs. Now at puberty, she is being asked to “choose” her sex by her parents, who have invited a plastic surgeon to discuss the issue with her. Complications arise when Alex develops a crush on Alvaro, the surgeon's teenage son. He also is suffering gender identity issues. Alex's search for her true identity forces both families to face their worst fears.

The film's powerful message of love transcending sexuality is only heightened by its beautiful backgrounds and dramatic visual style.

Freeheld, the Academy Award-winning gay documentary about the lives of two women facing death and a discriminatory government, is just one of the eight documentaries included in the program.

The first Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival opens Tuesday October 2^nd.

On the net: Festival website at www.sbsff.com/en

29 Sept 2008- Athens, Greece- Dozens of gays and lesbians protested outside parliament on Monday against the conservative government's attempt to overturn Greece's first same-sex marriages. Waving banners reading "These Weddings Are Valid", dozens of homosexual couples gathered in central Athens ahead of a court ruling due this week on the two marriages celebrated on the tiny Aegean island of Tilos in June.

The Justice Ministry has filed a legal suit to overturn the union of one gay and one lesbian couple after they took advantage of a loophole in Greek civil law that fails to specify gender in matrimony.

"We are here because we want equality," said Christina Neofotistou, 28, a designer. "These marriages were the first step, but this government wants to cancel it: instead they should be doing something for us."

The marriages drew strong criticism from the powerful Orthodox Church, which officially represents more than 90 percent of the 11 million-strong population.

While many European countries have established legislation recognising gay marriage or same-sex partnerships, Greece's traditional society has preferred to turn a blind eye to homosexuality.

The Netherlands was the first EU country to offer full civil marriage rights to gay couples in 2001 and Belgium followed in 2003. Spain legalised gay marriage in 2005, despite fierce opposition from the Roman Catholic Church.

 
26 Sept 2008- Bosnia's first gay pride festival has been forced underground after at least 10 people were injured when protesters attacked visitors to its opening night.

A mob set upon partygoers and journalists covering the Queer Sarajevo Festival after its launch at the city's Academy of Art on Wednesday evening.

Dozens of young men chanting "kill the gays" punched, kicked and hurled stones at people leaving the event, which has been condemned by prominent members of Bosnia's Muslim, Serb and Croat communities.

Islamic leaders are angry that the indoor festival of art, films and workshops about sexual minorities is being held during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but criticism of the event has also been fierce in some of Bosnia's mainstream media and internet forums.

"We are not interrupting the festival, but we will change the format. It will no longer be a public event," one of the lead organisers, Slobodanka Dekic, said, amid reports that the whole event could be cancelled. "The right people will have the right information about what is happening and where."

Gay pride festivals across former communist eastern Europe are regularly opposed by state or local officials and, when they do go ahead, a heavy police presence is required to counter often violent groups of protesters.

"We had guarantees from the mayor and police that there will be no violence . . . somebody will have to assume the responsibility for what has happened," Ms Dekic said.

Before the festival began, Amnesty International urged Bosnian officials to support the event and condemn attempts to stop it.

"Death threats have been issued on the internet against individual gay rights activists. A number of websites have called for the organisers of the festival to be lynched, stoned, doused with petrol or expelled from the country," the human rights group said.

 
11 Sept 2008- England, UK- Mersyside MP Angela Eagle has announced she will “marry” her female partner in a civil partnership ceremony.

The Wallasey MP, who is the only openly gay woman in the House of Commons, will tie the knot with BT engineer Maria Exall.

The couple met 18 years ago through the Labour party in London.

Ms Eagle and Ms Exall confirmed they will register their relationship on September 27 shortly after Commons leader Harriet Harman unexpectedly revealed the news at a trade union conference in Brighton yesterday.

The MP, whose twin sister Maria represents Garston, was sat in the visitors’ section of the hall when the surprise announcement was made.

Ms Eagle said the couple were “delighted” to take advantage of civil partnerships legislation introduced by the Government three years ago. She told the ECHO: “It is something we were always going to do, but we both have busy lives.

“Obviously, for most of the time we have been together, there was no chance of doing it, so now we are really looking forward to it.

“The invitations had all gone out, but we had not told anyone other than family and friends. “Then Harriet mentioned it from the stage at the TUC congress.

“But that was OK – we actually met through Peckham Labour party 18 years ago, so it is fair to say we would not have met if it was not for Harriet. “Now we are getting lots of good wishes and we are busy scrambling to catch up.

“I was on the civil partnerships bill and was a very proud member of the standing bill committee which passed it. “In general, people are very respectful towards us. My constituents are great and they do not judge us.”

Ms Exall said: “We are very happy. I am excited and looking forward to the day.” Ms Eagle has represented Wallasey since 1992 and became a treasury minister in July last year.

The former Formby high school pupil “came out” in an interview with a national newspaper in 1997 and is still the only openly gay female MP.

Joel Edwards, whose organisation says homosexuality is morally wrong, is an equality commissioner. He should be fired

11 Sept 2008- This week, the TUC took a rare decision to campaign to sack someone.

The conference, which normally fights to the last man and woman for anybody in a job, took the view that Joel Edwards, commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, should be shown the door immediately.

Edwards is the commissioner, but he is also general director of the Evangelical Alliance (EA), a fundamentalist Christian group.

Under his direction, the EA describes gay relationships as sinful and "a behaviour choice" and that "homosexual practice is morally wrong". His appointment by Ruth Kelly, when she was equalities minister, she attracted harsh publicity at the time. But after six months in office, the anger has increased. It boiled over last night at the TUC's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) fringe meeting, where a commission official was given the unenviable task of trying to defend Edwards to a polite but hostile audience. He failed.

I am behind the TUC on this one. What on earth was Trevor Phillips doing, agreeing to allow the government to appoint someone who thinks being gay is some form of undesirable behaviour choice? What will he sanction next? How about appointing a commissioner for race relations from the South African Dutch Reformed Church who might believe that blacks are inferior to whites and can cite the Bible on this?

The response from the commissioner's office was pathetic. Evidently, Trevor Phillips, its head, is such a frightened rabbit that he daren't say anything to Harriet Harman, the current equalities minister, about it. In a typical buck-passing, bureaucratic moment, press officials passed it to the Equalities Office, saying they were powerless over the appointment process. What piffle – if they were unhappy, they could do something.

And the present position is insulting for thousands of gay people – not least among them some of Harriet Harman's gay friends such as Angela Eagle, the Treasury minister and her partner, Maria Exall, chair of the TUC LGBT group and TUC council member. It's bizarre to consider that a man at the head of the commission thinks influential Tory blogger Iain Dale, Conservative frontbencher Alan Duncan and health minister Ben Bradshaw are in sinful relationships which are an unfortunate behaviour choice. No doubt in true Bibical terms, he will treat them as "lost sheep" that can be rounded up and repent of their sins.

Yesterday, Harriet Harman turned the private decision of Maria Exall and Angela Eagle to join a civil partnership into a government announcement when she blurted it out to the TUC and the world from the conference platform. What better civil partnership present for them than the dismissal of Edwards from his job in time for the ceremony.

07 Sept 2008- Italy- In a country where masculine values hold sway, gay recruits to Italy's police and armed forces have avoided going public about their sexuality for fear of suffering ostracism and forced transfers.

That is until last week, when a group of openly gay men in uniform announced they were planning to set up an organisation to combat discrimination and that they were plotting a collective coming-out event to show Italy's police chiefs and army generals that they are a force to be reckoned with.

The movement immediately found a natural front man in Fabrizio Caiazza, after it emerged the Milan traffic policeman is facing sanctions from superiors after winning a gay beauty contest.

Caiazza, 33, entered the 'Sex Factor' contest organised by UK website Gaydarnation.com earlier this year, donning his police uniform to pose for online shots in the Mr Uniform category. Beating 46,000 contenders from 162 countries, he scooped a modelling contract and a €15,000 top prize, only to be sent before a disciplinary board back in Milan for wearing his uniform without permission outside office hours.

'I know I should have asked, but it would have been a complicated request,' said Caiazza.

'This will likely finish with a simple reprimand and is all about the longstanding rules, not discrimination,' said Milan's deputy mayor, Riccardo De Corato. 'I know of no cases of discrimination occurring in the Italian police,' he added.

That did not square with Caiazza. 'Many policemen don't come out because of the enmity they would face from colleagues and the isolation they would be put in by superiors,' he said.

Caiazza said he was backing the new gay rights group announced last week, dubbed Polis Aperta, which plans its first meeting on 26 September.

'We're coming out against creeping discrimination,' said Nicola Cicchitti, an officer in Italy's tax police who is heading the initiative, which now numbers about 200 members and plans to demand official recognition from Italy's Ministry of Defence.

The new group will put Italy on a par with other European countries, particularly Spain, where organisation Gaylespol hosted a conference of 14 associations for gays in uniform this year.

'This will move Italy closer to the rest of Europe and break with absurd and still pervasive macho taboos,' said the Mario Mieli Association, an Italian gay rights group.

Vito Raimondi, a tax policeman from Turin, said the group would combat the isolation felt by uniformed gays afraid to come out. 'I was at a Gay Pride event when a colleague, who had been standing on the fringes, saw me by the stage and decided to come over to greet me. It was a great moment and the proof we must be more visible,' he said.

A member of the Carabinieri paramilitary police involved in Polis Aperta said that its website has received hundreds of emails of support.

Writing in a blog for Italy's Clubbing magazine, Caiazza has meanwhile pushed the idea of police forces using gay officers to investigate crimes involving the gay community, including gay hate crimes, which rights groups say are on the increase in Italy.

The idea won the backing of Vladimir Luxuria, a transgender former member of the Italian parliament.

'Sending gay officers to investigate hate crimes would help to encourage witnesses who might usually be afraid to talk to the police,' said Luxuria, a man who lives as a woman.

'It's time to go beyond the stereotypical view that gays can only be make-up artists or hairdressers.'

Tension mounts in Bosnia over gay festival

05 Sept 2008- Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina - Posters condemning homosexuals have appeared in Sarajevo ahead of this month's first-ever gay festival in Bosnia, prompting an international organization to condemn what it called «attempts to incite violence.
Two Muslim imams have been quoted as criticizing the timing of the five-day festival, which opens Sept. 24 and will occur during the holy month of Ramadan.

Islam prohibits homosexuality, and Sarajevo is at least 85 percent Muslim.
Neither the head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia, Mustafa Ceric, nor his institution has officially reacted to the festival, which will include films and art exhibitions.

But two local imams in Bosnia have condemned it. We will not grab them by the neck on the street, but we have to say: This is immoral ... a promotion of ideas that are in violation with religion Seid Smajkic, an imam from the southern city of Mostar, was quoted as saying in Friday's Dnevni Avaz, a daily newspaper.
Another local imam, Sulejman Bulgari, said on television Thursday night that the Quran forbids homosexuality and that the holy book is clear about that.
Neither imam was available for an interview on Friday, the Muslim day of worship.
Several posters have appeared in the streets of Sarajevo this week, saying  Death to Gays. Police quickly removed them.
On Friday, the Bosnia mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said it is concerned that politicians have not reminded the public that local laws forbid discrimination regarding sexual orientation.
The mission strongly condemns attempts to incite violence against any group within Bosnia and Herzegovina the OSCE said in a statement, adding that the anti-gay posters «are intended to do just that.
Local human rights organizations and intellectuals are supporting the festival, but some have questioned its timing regarding Ramadan.

One of Sarajevo's leading intellectuals, law professor Zdravko Grebo, said the organizers should have taken Muslim concerns into consideration. «Why this finger right in the eye? However, it's not a reason to cancel it, he said.
Slobodanka Dakic, an activist of the Bosnian Q Association, a festival organizer that promotes gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual rights, said there was no plan to antagonize anyone. But she also said the event will not be canceled nor rescheduled because of Ramadan.
Bosnia is supposed to be a secular society in which events are not planned according to religious calendars, she said at a news conference in Mostar.
Dakic also said she believes the gay festival is important for Bosnia because it fights xenophobia.
Showing one of the Death to Gays posters to reporters, she said: Is this Ramadan? This is why the festival is important.

Security  forces to launch gay association

02 Sept 2008- Turin, Italy- Gay members of Italy's security forces will "come out" later this month and launch their own association, the first of its kind in the country, Italian media reported on Tuesday.

The Open Polis association will launch in the northern Italian city of Bologna on 26 September. Membership is open to gay men and women from the police, the paramilitary Carabinieri and tax police, as well as the army and the air force.

"For many of us in uniform, the worry is not violent physical attacks, but blatant discrimination, and daily 'macho' jokes and language," said Open Polis President Nicola Cicchitti, who serves with Italy's tax police, quoted by Italian daily, Corriere della Sera.

"The entry of women into the police and army has altered this macho culture somewhat, but hasn't been able to get rid of it," Cicchitti said.

Some 200 gay members of Italy's security forces have so far applied to join Open Polis, which will hold a series of talks and elect regional delegates when it meets in Bologna.

A key goal of the association will be to change attitudes towards gay men and women in the security forces and set up groups to train colleagues in handling crimes against gays.

Open Polis is following the example of equivalent associations that have already been up other European countries, such as Spain's Gaylespol.

The association organises anti-gay discrimination courses for the Civil Guard - the counterpart of Italy's Carabinieri or France's Gendarmerie.

The awareness-raising courses are run by gay Civil Guard members.

England Win Gay World Cup

01 Sept 2008- UK- It is the kind of news that would make you choke on your breakfast cereal but, believe it or not, England are champions of the world…albeit in the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association (IGLFA) World Championship.

Stonewall Lions FC, representing England, thrashed Argentine side Safgay FC 5-0 in the final at Leyton Orient's Matchroom Stadium in London on Saturday.

This was the highest score ever recorded in the final since 1997, when the championship was first contested in Washington DC

The tournament saw the participation of 40 teams from England, United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Ireland , Iceland, Denmark, South Africa, Czech Republic, Sweden, Japan and Australia.

A delighted Stonewall player Doug Edward said: "We played with pride and thoroughly deserved to win the title after winning seven games to get to the final.

"It was a great experience to play at Leyton Orient and we hope to take the success we had into our season in the Middlesex County Football League."

Stonewall FC are also the current European, World, and Olympic Games Champions, thus affirming England’s dominance in Gay Football.

Many England football fans will be hoping that this success now transfers over to the better known England national team, who have failed to win a major honour for 42 years, and who kick off their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign this Saturday against Andorra.

Gay players still a taboo in football

 
27 Aug 2008- Football has always found it hard to tolerate perceived 'otherness'. And although much has changed over the past 20 years, when it comes to openly gay players, the closet remains firmly shut.

The one player who did come out was Justin Fashanu – he committed suicide eight years later after suffering abuse that, according to the coroner, contributed to his death.

This week a group of Fiorentina players were asked about the subject of gay footballers. The goalkeeper Sebastian Frey acknowledged that, as things stand, football is one of the few industries left in which homosexuality would not be accepted.

"In the world we live in fans already attack wives and girlfriends so imagine what would happen if someone came out," he said. "They would massacre him. Banners, chants…It would be hell."

Last season, for the first time in England, homophobic chanting became an offence. Whether that has made any difference or not is doubtful - it seems that in the game’s ultra-macho culture (earrings, man-bags, West Ham fans singing about "pretty little bubbles", languorous embraces on the pitch), homosexuality is still football’s ultimate taboo.

THT Launches ‘connect’ Counselling for gay men

 
27 Aug 2008- London, England- Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) is launching ‘Connect’, a new low cost counselling service for gay or bisexual men based in King’s Cross, London, next month.

The service, which is to be launched on September 3, allows gay men to explore difficulties or challenges in their lives, make sense of experiences and find solutions or coping mechanisms when faced with problems.

“Many people find that talking to someone about their lives can help them to make positive changes,” said Christine Mead, manager of THTs Wellbeing Services.

“Counselling sessions can be used to discuss anything from problems at home or work, to drug or alcohol use or sexual risk taking.  If there’s something you’d like to discuss please get in touch.”

Each session lasts 50 minutes and THT is able to offer courses ranging from a few sessions to 12 or more.

Fees are based on income and range from £25 to £40.  Couples sessions which cost £50 can also be booked so partners can explore issues together.

THT has over 25 years experience of working with gay and bisexual men and its trained counsellors are sympathetic and non judgemental.

‘Connect’ counselling. Call 020 7812 1777 to make an appointment, or email info.counselling@tht.org.uk

Romania launches online gay TV

26 Aug 2008- Bucharest, Romania- Homosexuals in Romania are to get their own online TV channel, dedicated to "the life and problems of the gay community," starting October 1, its creators said Monday.

The channel, dubbed Angelicuss TV, will be the first of its kind in this majority Orthodox country, where homosexuality was only decriminalised in 2001.

Launched in the northwestern town of Cluj by the anti-discrimination group Be An Angel, the channel will only be broadcast on the Internet.

But the varied programme will include "gay music, news, entertainment and films," the channel announced on its website.

"(It) will be a means of communication in the gay community as well as with the Romanian public as a whole," said "Be An Angel" director Lucian Dunareanu.

And the channel will not show any pornographic or indecent material, its creators insisted.

Road closed in central Manchester for gay pride

20 Aug 2008- Manchester,England- Details of road closures during Manchester Gay Pride’s ‘Big Weekend’ and the Pride Parade have been unveiled today by the festival organisers.

In total, eleven areas surrounding the Gay Village will be closed from 6am on Friday August 22 until 7am Tuesday August 26.

These include parts, or all, of Abingdon Street, Silver Street, Hart Street, Major Street, Bloom Street, Richmond Street, Canal Street, Brazil Street, Chorlton Street and Sackville Street.

The Manchester Pride Parade starts at 2pm on Saturday from Liverpool Road and will follow the same route as last year.

A number of roads will also be closed from 1.30pm until 6pm to allow the parade to pass by.

But Liverpool Road will be closed from the earlier time of 6am to allow the event organisers to formulate the running order of the entrants as they arrive and put the finishing touches to their floats.

In total, nine roads are closed along the parade route. These include: Deansgate, from Liverpool Road to St Ann’s Street, which is itself will be closed as far as Cross Street.

“We’re really excited about this year’s event especially as it’s the 18th birthday,” said festival manager Jackie Crozier.

“The road closures will ensure that the event operates safely and securely so that fun is had by all.

“It’s also really important that the roads are closed for the parade.  This will allow thousands of people to enjoy the spectacle of Pride and join in the celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender life.  The roads being closed will re-open as soon as possible to ensure only the minimum disruption.”

Not all plain sailing for Gay Pride

30 July 2008- Netherlands- Amsterdam is gearing up for the high point of gay pride week this Saturday when lesbians, gays and their friends take part in a boat parade through the city's canals. More politicians are jumping aboard for Canal Pride, with three more ministers announcing they intend to take part in the parade. Their boat will sail under the (English) motto 'Simply Gay'.

However, opposition MP Boris van der Ham (pictured below), whose progressive liberal D'66 party has had a boat in the gay parade for years, is trying to make it anything but plain sailing for the government. He welcomes the good intentions, but says there are "still Dutch laws which discriminate against homosexuals".

His party wants to amend the article in the constitution that outlaws discrimination by adding homosexuals to the list of those who enjoy constitutional protectection. The Christian Democrat-led ruling coalition is also under fire for allowing civil servants to opt out of performing marriage ceremonies for same-sex couples.

Religion

For the second year in a row, a gay umbrella organisation is running a poster campaign during Gay Pride under the slogan: Believe in Love. The aim is to make homosexuality a topic that can be talked about within religious families. The posters depicting families which are evidently Christian, Islamic or Jewish, with homosexual family members and their same-sex partners.

Last year's campaign was more overtly political, with posters showing men wearing football shirts having sex. This did not just allude to anti-gay sentiments within the game. It also referred to the fact that Amsterdam Council had withdrawn permission for several gay street parties. The reason given was that there were not enough officers to police the events because of a match between Amsterdam's Ajax football team and British side Arsenal.

Pink Network
Finally, in what may not be just a coincidental move, the Dutch Trades Union Federation is launching a 'pink network' to fight against homophobia in the workplace. A union spokesman illustrates the problem: "Teachers, for example, daren't be open about their sexuality because students are increasingly intolerant."

Gay couple in home advert payout

 
29 July 2008- England- A Gay couple have won £5,000 compensation after an estate agent wrote the word “lesbians” in an advert for their house.

Suzanne Richards, 36, and Sarah Dobinson, 44, said they feared for their lives after the revelation appeared on a popular property website.

The Bury St Edmunds branch of estate agents, Jackson-Stops & Staff, listed the word “lesbians” alongside pictures of the inside of their £640,000 house.

The word appeared in small print at the bottom of the internet advert at www.rightmove.co.uk.

Ms Richards and Ms Dobinson, from the Bury St Edmunds area, said they were “shaking with disbelief” when they spotted the reference and immediately took the house off the market.

The couple eventually reached a £5,000 out of court settlement with the estate agents after claiming they had breached discrimination laws.

Ms Richards said: “After about five days I was checking the listing because we had no interest from it and saw that instead of a reference being a mixture of numbers or letters, or referring to the property, we had the word “lesbians”.

“It was just awful. We were shaking with disbelief and horrified. I saw it first and I was wondering whether I was seeing things or on the right website.”

After a phone call to Jackson-Stops & Staff the listing was taken down with immediate effect but the couple still lived in fear of an attack.

She added there was currently a gap in the training that they wanted plugged to prevent such incidents ever occurring.

“We want this to never happen again. I am sure there are other companies out there not aware of the legislations and it should not take laws to make people treat each other fairly.”

Philip Gilbey a partner of Jackson-Stops & Staff estate agents, said: “From our perspective the incident was absolutely the sole actions of an individual which were regrettable and foolish.

“Unfortunately as an employer we have to take full responsibility but we cannot dictate everything they do.

“Any suggestion of institutional discrimination is categorically wrong. We took the property down off the website as soon as we realised what had happened and the employee was taken to a disciplinary tribunal and narrowly missed instant dismissal due to a previously completely unblemished record.”

He added: “We have consulted with the clients and agreed that on top of the training we already put on there will be an extra training course that they asked for.”

The couple's lawyers, Russell Jones & Walker, said the estate agent had settled the case before it came to court, with the couple receiving £5,000 as “injury to feelings” payment.

Gay MP ties the knot

28 July 2008- CAROL Thatcher and William Hague were among the 200 guests when Rutland and Melton MP Alan Duncan celebrated his civil partnership with James Dunseath.

They were all photographed by Oakham Town Councillor Jim Harrison, of Alexander Crescent, Oakham, who was the official photographer at the reception on Friday at Merchant Taylor's Hall, in London's Threadneedle Street following a civil ceremony the day before at Marylebone Registry office.

Mr Harrison, was mayor of Oakham when he took photographs of the happy couple earlier this year after Alan announced his commitment to press officer James Dunseath, 39, following his proposal on Valentines' Day.

The 62-year-old freelance photographer has been taking pictures of the Rutland MP since 1992 and when he went to his Rutland home following the announcement cheekily said: "If you want a photographer for the ceremony, I know a good one."

Five weeks ago Mr Duncan rang him to confirm the booking, and Mr Harrison, who took about 500 photographs during the reception said: "I was honoured to be asked, it was very nice. It was a very relaxed and happy atmosphere."

Guests arrived at middday and were led out to the garden upon arrival for champagne and canapes and a jazz band before being called to the suite for a buffet lunch and speeches.

One speech was delivered by former Tory leader and Shadow Foreign Secretary, William Hague, a former flatmate of Mr Duncans. Guests included Rutland County Councillor Ken Bool and his family, Shadow Chancellor George Osborne, Carol Thatcher, and former Chancellor Norman Lamont.

After the reception Mr Duncan and his partner James left for a short honeymoon in Scotland. Mr Duncan said: "It was a very happy day and a fantastic celebration. It was wonderful to share the occasion with so many of our friends and family."

Campbell rumoured to do community service for HIV charity

22 July 2008- London- Naomi Campbell is rumoured to be starting her community service at an HIV and Aids charity.

It’s been revealed that the Streatham-born supermodel will spend five weeks working at the Food Chain, starting from tomorrow.

But despite sources from the charity, which has a branch in Tooting, claiming this was true, an official spokesman from the organisation said there were no plans for the 38-year-old to work there.

A London Probation spokesman said they did not discuss details of individual cases.

Food Chain provides home delivered meals and nutritional advice to men, women and children who are chronically sick with HIV-related illnesses.

In June the fiery supermodel was sentenced to 200 hours of labour for assaulting two police officers and verbally assaulting a British Airways captain, after going "berserk" on a plane at Heathrow's Terminal 5 over her lost luggage.

She was also fined £2,300 and ordered to pay £200 compensation to each of the police officers, as well as £150 to the flight captain.

Gay sex games DJ Kevin Greening leaves £500,000 to lover... but nothing to his mother

 
22 July 2008- London, England- A former BBC Radio 1 breakfast show DJ who died during a gay bondage session wrote his mother out of his will, it has emerged.

Instead the DJ left his entire estate to 'life partner' Andrew Lowe, even though he had been seeing other men for at least two years.

Mr Lowe had apparently split from 44-year-old Mr Greening two years before the star's death last December - but they continued to live together and the DJ never changed his 1991 will to reflect the end of the relationship.

Greening's will instructed that his mother Mary would only receive a payout if she had outlived Mr Lowe at the time of the DJ's death. Even then she would only be entitled to half the money, with the rest going to AIDS charity the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Writing in the will Mr Greening, who left £515,575, said: 'After the payment of debts, funeral and testimony expenses and any inheritance tax which may be payable I give my whole estate to the said Andrew Lowe absolutely.' 

Mr Greening presented Radio 1's flagship breakfast show with Zoe Ball and later moved to Radio Five Life and Smooth FM.

Fourth Moscow gay pride to take place on ‘Eurovision day’ in Russia’s capital

22 July 2008- Moscow, Russia-  Next year’s Moscow Pride is set to be staged on May 16 – the same day as the Eurovision song  contest finals and the day before International Day Against Homophobia.

Yesterday, Eurovision officials announced that next year’s event would be staged at Moscow’s Olympiyskiy stadium.

And organisers of Moscow Gay Pride confirmed last night their intent to conduct the gay parade on the day on of the Eurovision final in Russian capital.

“We will conduct the gay pride on the day of the Eurovision final on 16 May 2009,” Nikolai Alekseev told the Interfax news agency  “As usual we will notify Moscow authorities about the conduct of the event.”

He suggested that “that the public event of the fourth Moscow Pride” could be staged on one of the central streets of Moscow.

Moscow won the right to stage Eurovision next year when Dima Bilan won this year’s contest in Belgrade in May.

“We hope that the many gays and lesbians who usually attend Eurovision finals from different countries will join our Pride,” he told UK Gay News this morning.

He also said that, apart from the gay march, the organisers are planning to hold an international conference dedicated to the International Day Against Homophobia which is being marked around the world on 17 May.  

The invitations to take part in the conference will be sent to the Mayors of Paris, London and Berlin as well as many European politicians.

“Russia must show that it is part of the civilized world, of the European family, that it is tolerant and that it is possible to conduct public actions of sexual minorities in Moscow,” Mr. Alekseev said.

In the next few weeks an organizing committee for the forth Moscow Pride will be formed and will include record number of people.

Pride organisers will be getting in contact with the European Broadcasting Union, the organisers of Eurovision song contest, to discuss issues concerning the security of gays and lesbians in the Russian capital.

The song contest, with its ‘camp’ acts, has become an iconic event in the gay European calendar – and the event is starting to gain popularity within the LGBT community in the USA, the world largest television market.

18 July 2008- German- The homophobic lyrics of several Jamaican reggae musicians has moved the German government to consider blacklisting them and restrict their sales and distribution.

The CDs by Elephant Man and T.O.K. could be put on the "Index of Harmful Materials," which, while it would not censor the materials in Germany, would severely limit their advertising and marketing.

The Federal Department for Media Harmful to Young Persons will decide over the next several months if the music will be included on the index, the government said on Thursday in its response to a parliamentary inquiry.

The index includes items such as media which glorify war and violence and are intended to induce hate. Volker Beck, the leader of the Green Party parliamentary group, called on large Internet music sellers to already begin removing the CDs in question from their sales inventory.

"Those in Jamaica who invoke hatred should not earn money with their music in Germany," he said on Thursday in Berlin. Homosexual acts are punishable by law in Jamaica and many musicians from the Caribbean island are accused of promoting violence against gays and lesbians. In its travel advisory on Jamaica, the German foreign ministry reports that homosexuals are often the targets of assault.

Tribunal hears 'gay jibe' claims

 
17 July 2008- UK-A driving school boss called a worker "gay boy" and said he was lucky to have a job, a tribunal has heard.

John MacDonald allegedly described Mark Rowan, 29, as "one of the girls" on the firm's website and told him: "Not many companies employ gays."

The Pro Scot boss, based in Kirkcaldy, Fife, had clashed with the employee when company cutbacks were announced.

The company said Mr Rowan was dismissed after a series of late arrivals at work, which he has denied.

'Perfect opportunity'

Mr Rowan claimed Mr MacDonald had bragged to a colleague about not having "poofs" work at his company and claimed he would find a way to sack him.

The panel at the Edinburgh employment tribunal heard that, when budget cuts and job losses were announced, Mr MacDonald was given the perfect opportunity.

Mr Rowan said: "The staff were all sickened but the general feeling was that I was the one going to be sacked.

"He would refer to me as 'gay boy' and told my colleagues he didn't want 'poofs' working for his company."

Staff walked out on Mr MacDonald, but the boss clashed with Mr Rowan in the car park before he could leave.

Mr Rowan added: "He made a beeline towards me and said if I didn't go back into the office I wouldn't have a job to go back to.

"But the office manager had already locked the doors and left, so I went home."

Mr Rowan said the next day Mr MacDonald locked all the staff in a room and asked why they had walked out.

He went on: "He said that I led the walk-out and that I was the leader. And he said he didn't want to appear to be weak by keeping me on."

After a week out of a job, Mr Rowan said he was invited back to work at Pro Scot on the condition that he apologised.

He said: "Mr MacDonald said that I should feel thankful to have a job back because there weren't many companies that would employ gays."

Mr Rowan said that, after being reinstated, he "felt the axe hanging over my head once more".

Late arrivals

"I was so stressed I was losing sleep," he added.

The panel also heard how Mr MacDonald published profiles on his company's website about each member of staff and described Mr Rowan as "one of the girls in the office".

Mr Rowan said the jibes left him stressed and too scared to confront his boss.

The company has denied the allegations and claimed Mr Rowan was dismissed after a series of late arrivals to work, although he insisted this only happened twice.

Pro Scot also claimed Mr Rowan was making mistakes on a daily basis and would have been sacked anyway.

The company said he chatted to friends on his mobile and used social networking website Bebo throughout the day.

The hearing continues.

10 July 2008- UK- The founder of the Gay Police Association has hit out at local schools for declining to attend a conference tackling homophobic bullying.

Representatives from schools in Reading, West Berkshire and Wokingham were among a number of schools in the Thames Valley invited to the event tomorrow.

Hosted by Thames Valley Police and the gay rights group Stonewall, the meeting aimed to tackle incidents of homophobic bullying and homophobia in schools.

But today the Evening Post can reveal no schools in the Thames Valley took up the offer to send a representative to the event – including schools in Reading.

PC Alistair Melling, founder of the Gay Police Association, said he was upset schools in the region did not think it was necessary to tackle gay bullying head-on.

PC Melling, who organised the conference at the police training centre in Sulhamstead, said: “If this was a conference about racism then the schools would be there.

“We have invited a number of schools to the event but no schools are attending. I am really disappointed with this.

“I know schools are busy at the moment with exams and so on but you would have thought they could have found someone.”

PC Melling, who lives with his partner Acting Sergeant Alistair Bosanco-Mitchell in Lower Earley, said he believed homophobic bullying was rife in Reading’s schools.

“I would think there is a lot of homophobic bullying in schools,” he said.

“I think if you look at the general culture these days then ‘gay’ has become a term of insult. I think it’s fallen into general use in schools.

“If you were a gay youngster I don’t think you would necessarily be comfortable in school. I hate to get into this thing about political correctness. It is naff and no good. But calling someone gay is not acceptable.”

PC Melling compared homophobic bullying to racist bullying – both of which he deemed out of order.

He continued: “You would not hear someone say ‘that’s really black’ – that would be racist – so you should not hear someone say ‘that’s really gay’.”

Not all schools in Reading were invited to the conference. Thames Valley Police spokesman David Paull said: “We are not going to give the names of specific schools as there is a risk that this will then turn into a naming and shaming exercise.

“It was schools from across Thames Valley Police area, ie Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Milton Keynes.”

Mr Paull added representatives from some local authorities did plan to attend the conference.

Reading Borough Council spokesman Chris Branagan said: “As a local authority, we cannot comment on decisions that may have been made by individual schools. However, we would be very glad to encourage our schools to support any similar event in the future.”

08 July 2008- UK- A Gay couple in East London are furious with the owners of a wedding venue who turned the lovebirds away for “religious” reasons.

Carole van der Berg and Helen Ross were hoping to tie the knot this year after being together for 13 years. They eventually settled on the Country Style Catering and Venue near Cove Rock outside East London for the special occasion.

“The lady said I was in luck because there were cancellations on the date I was proposing and I immediately wanted to see the venue,” said Van der Berg.

Overjoyed by the pending marriage, Van der Berg and Ross went to view the venue, where they were warmly greeted by the owner and made to feel comfortable.

“I was up front about our homosexuality and the lady did not seem to have a problem,” said Van der Berg.

The couple said they discussed the menus and other arrangements, only to be informed later they could not use the venue because the owners’ religious beliefs forbade same- sex marriages.

“For the past 13 years I have been with my soul mate, I have never been discriminated against or been judged as they did to us,” said Van der Berg.

The owner of the venue, Colleen Horrmann, said they were forced to turn down the couple’s request because they were members of Jehovah Witness.

“I like them very much and I have nothing against them but we do not condone same- sex marriages,” said Horrmann.

She said the couple should understand that it was not as if they did not want them to get married – it was a case of not at their venue. “They are making a big thing out of nothing,” said Horrmann.

But constitutional law expert Professor Pierre de Vos, of the University of Western Cape, disagreed.

“The couple can go to the Equality Court to challenge this and the court can order the owners to change their policy,” said De Vos.

He said when providing services like a restaurant, hotel or other venue, owners could not discriminate against others on the basis of their race, sex and sexual orientation, irrespective of their personal convictions.

SAS launches gay website

07 July 2008- SAS Scandinavian Airlines has launched a gay site on its international, www.flysas.com  website, thereby becoming the first European airline with a website dedicated to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender/transsexual (GLBT) market. Even more unique, the website builds on SAS' popular crew tips, providing tips from its own gay crew of the best that Stockholm and Copenhagen has to offer.

The new site, flysas.com/gay, has been launched in time to celebrate EuroPride, which is taking place in Stockholm July 30 - August 2. And next year, Copenhagen is hosting the World Out Games 2009, once again bringing a major gay event to Scandinavia, SAS' home market. SAS is the proud Strategic Partner of the World Out Games 2009 and also its official airline.

SAS has partnered up with Stockholm Visitors Board, Wonderful Copenhagen, Swedish publisher QX and Copenhagen Gay Life to offer gay maps, gay guides and an events calendar that's updated daily for both cities.

Visit flysas.com/gay for the best of what to do in Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Scandinavian Airlines International is the long-haul operator of SAS with 1.4 million passengers per year. The fleet consists of Airbus A330s and A340s, serving 10 destinations: New York, Chicago, Washington, Seattle, Bangkok, Beijing, Tokyo, Dubai, Copenhagen and Stockholm. In 2008/09, SAS International will launch flights to Delhi and San Francisco. The company is also responsible for the SAS Group's sales and market activities in EMEA, Asia Pacific and North America.

Minister of equality jeered at London’s gay pride

07 July 2008- UK  –  Harriet Harman MP, government minister of equalities and deputy leader of the Labour Party, was booed and heckled as she spoke from the main stage at the gay Pride London celebrations in Trafalgar Square on Saturday afternoon.

Gay Pride organisers came on stage and appealed to the crowd to stop jeering and listen to what she had to say.

But their appeal had limited effect as the crowd which packed Trafalgar Square expressed their anger at the Government’s approach to gay men and women who seek refuge in the UK after feeling from danger.

“At several points during her speech, a bewildered Ms Harman appeared to waiver and had to struggle to be heard,” said gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell, who was at the side of the stage – he was also one of the speakers.

“Hundreds of people in the crowd expressed their anger at the way the Labour government is locking up gay asylum seekers, refusing them refugee status and ordering them to be sent back to violently homophobic countries like Algeria, Uganda, Iran, Nigeria, Iraq and Belarus,” he said.

“Those who are returned are at risk of arrest, imprisonment torture, rape and even murder.

“I tried to explain the crowd’s anger to Ms Harman as she left the stage,” he continued.

“But several Gay Pride stewards violently shoved me out of the way and threatened to have me arrested.  It was needless and unjustified aggression.

“As I was being dragged away by the stewards, Ms Harman shouted for me to contact her.  She said: ‘Peter, give me a call and we can discuss your concerns’.

“I will take up her offer.  I plan to present the government with a six-point plan to end the homophobic bias of the asylum system,” said Mr Tatchell.

And in another incident in Trafalgar Square, a transgender was threatened with arrest by official Gay Pride stewards.

Roz Caveney, a long-time human rights campaigner, journalist and transsexual woman, wanted to use the toilet.

“Official stewards who were running the toilets at Trafalgar Square announced that I, and any other transgender or transsexual woman, had to use the disabled toilets and was n