UK Gay News - Gay and Lesbian News From Around the World

Tuesday February 9, 2010

The Guardian - UK:
The War on 'Cures' for Homosexuality. Commentary by Patrick Strudwick . Last year, in Britain, a psychiatrist and a psychotherapist tried to "cure" me of my homosexuality. What they didn't know was that I was working undercover investigating what happens during so-called conversion therapy. The results of my investigation, published last week in the Independent, have sparked a bushfire of anger and outrage.

Truth Wins Out - USA:
Extra! Extra!! Exodus Updates Website!!!! Sort of…. Commentary by Wayne Besen. On January 25, I accused the “ex-gay” organization Exodus International of endemic sloth. With an alleged one-million dollar budget and 13 staff members, Exodus had essentially gone into hibernation. It had not updated its tired website since Nov. 16, 2009. The only peep from the organization comes from periodic posting on the group’s vanity blog by Vice President Randy Thomas.

The Independent - UK:
Lord Browne Would Still Feel Uncomfortable Today. Commentary by David Prosser. Whatever one thinks about the spectacular fall from grace of Lord Browne three years ago – or, indeed, his stewardship of the oil giant BP – it is fascinating to hear him talk today about his fears of being open about his sexuality while in business. The question it prompts is whether he would find talking about being gay any easier if he were still in business today. The answer is probably not ...

BBC News Channel - UK:
The Anglican Communion "Is Over". When it comes to issues of gender and sexuality the Church of England is a church divided. A short video except from "Hardtalk" and Stephen Sackur's interview with the Bishop of Fulham, to be transmitted later today on BBC News Channel and BBC World.

Coventry Telegraph - UK:
Gay Rights: The Fight Goes On. By Catherine Vonledebur. West Midlands MEP, actor and human rights campaigner Michael Cashman says instead of condemning Britain’s gay equality laws Pope Benedict XVI should be promoting “understanding and diversity”.

The Advocate - USA:
Brazilian Man Wins Asylum in U.S. By Michelle Garcia. A Brazilian man has been granted asylum by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as violence against LGBT residents of the South American nation escalates.

San Francisco Chronicle- USA:
Gay Judge Has Proven Record of Impartiality. Editorial. Vaughn Walker almost lost his chance to reach the federal bench because of claims that he was anti-gay and hostile to civil rights. Two dozen House Democrats, led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, opposed his nomination because of his alleged "insensitivity" to gays and the poor.

CBS News Fresno - USA:
FCC Instructor Under Fire Over Alleged Anti-Gay Teachings. By Steve McCarron. An instructor at Fresno City College is under fire over his alleged teachings about homosexuality. 2 FCC students accuse Dr. Bradley Lopez of presenting religious-based and anti-gay views as scientific fact inside the classroom. This page includes video report.

Monday February 8, 2010

Spiegel - Gemany:
Shame and Fear: Inside Germany's Catholic Sexual Abuse Scandal. The Catholic Church in Germany has been shaken in recent days by revelations of a series of sexual abuse cases. Close to 100 priests and members of the laity have been suspected of abuse in recent years. After years of suppression, the wall of silence appears to be crumbling. By SPIEGEL Staff. This is a long article, divided into six chapters.

Pink Paper - UK:
Football's Equality Organisation Responds to FA's Post-Ponement. By Peter Lloyd. Kick It Out, football's equality and inclusion organisation, has responded to the news that the FA has postponed its anti-homophobia campaign. Due to be launched this Thursday, 11 February, the association's bullying film will now not see the light of day until later in the year - if at all.

The Guardian - UK:
Gay Rights Groups Attack FA Delay Over Anti-Homophobia Film. By Owen Gibson. The Football Association's commitment to tackling homophobia in the game was today called into question by gay rights groups after the launch of a much-heralded film designed to confront the issue was cancelled at the last minute.

UK and EUROPE

UK Gay News - UK:
St. Petersburg Set to be Second Russian City to Host a Gay Pride. The first Lesbian and Gay Pride to be staged in St. Petersburg will be on June 26, the chief organiser of Moscow Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, told the Russian news agency Interfax today.

Interfax - Russia:
New St. Petersburg Ombudsman Not Against Gay Pride Parades. St. Petersburg human rights ombudsman Alexey Kozyrev says gay pride parades could be conducted in St. Petersburg.

Pink Paper - UK:
Turing's Bletchley Park to Honour LGBT History Month. By Peter Lloyd. Bletchley Park, the professional home of codebreaker Alan Turing, will celebrate LGBT History Month with a special event on Sunday 28 February.

BBC News - UK:
Lord Browne: 'I Was Terrified About Being Known as Gay'. John Browne was a star of UK business: tough, successful, and as boss of BP, the company that had been his life, a man who had the Midas touch. Then it all came to an end. He was brought down three years ago by a gay affair. Audio interview with Jim Naughtie (six minutes 35 seconds) from the Today programme.

USA and the AMERICAS

Military Times - USA:
‘Don’t Ask’ Survey Published. By Brendan McGarry. Opposition to gays serving openly in the military has declined sharply among those wearing the uniform today. See also the detailed survey results and questions asked HERE.

DC Agenda - USA:
New AIDS Advisory Panel Sworn in at White House. By Lou Chibbaro Jr.. At least seven LGBT people are among the 24 newly appointed members of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.

Towleroad - USA:
Largest NJ Gay Advocacy Group to Stop Donating to Political Parties, Asks Members to Do the Same. By Andy Towle. The Board of Directors of Garden State Equality, New Jersey's largest LGBT advocacy group, has voted to end the organization's giving to political parties. See also Raw Story

USA Today - USA:
Don't Kill U.S. Gays, Lock Them Up: Family Groups. Commentary by Cathy Lynn Grossman. Some folks are worried about President Obama munching toast at last week's National Prayer Breakfast with friends of Ugandan homophobe David Bahati. But while the prayer event held the headlines, leaders of the Family Research Council and the American Family Association, made news, too. They wouldn't go as far as Uganda's kill-the-gays bill pushed by Bahati. They would just outlaw homosexuality, like shooting up illegal drugs, here in the USA

Seattle Post-Intelligencer - USA:
Dear Uncle Same, I Lied to You. Joe Mirabella's letter to Uncle Sam admitting he lied about his marital statuus on his tax return. Dear Uncle Sam, I just wanted to let you know that I finished my tax return and e-filed it. You should be aware that I lied on my return.

AFRICA

The Independent - South Africa:
Trio Get their Dip in Public Pool. By Megan Baadjies. Three gay men who were thrown out of a public swimming pool for wearing bikinis have finally had their dip.

AND FUNILLY ...

Somewhere, the Caledonian Mercury in Scotland suggests, a web designer is looking very embarrassed today. Why? Because someone at the "Direct.gov.uk" government Website should have perhaps "Googled" the name of a new gamem, 'Buster’s World', in the kid's section of the site... 'Buster’s World', in it's 'dot com' form is, aparantly, a gay porn site.

Sunday February 7, 2010

New York Times - USA:
Smoke the Bigots Out of the Closet. Commentary by Frank Rich. A funny thing happened after Adm. Mike Mullen called for gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military: A curious silence befell much of the right. If this were a Sherlock Holmes story, it would be the case of the attack dogs that did not bark. Many of his Republican colleagues said little or nothing. The right’s noise machine was on mute. The Fox News report on Mullen’s testimony was fair and balanced — and brief. The network dropped the subject entirely in the Hannity-O’Reilly hothouse of prime time that night.

On Top Magazine - USA:
Barney Frank Pounces On Backers Of Military Gay Ban. By Carlos Santoscoy. Openly gay Massachusetts Representative Barney Frank has come out swinging at supporters of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy that bans open gay service.

Sunday Independent - Ireland:
Church's Daft and Cruel Teachings Have No Place in Civil Law. Pope Benedict should keep his Holy Roman nose well out of civil affairs, writes Emer O'Kelly.

Independent on Sunday - UK:
The Boys of Shinjuku: Is Tokyo's Gay District Doomed? By David McNeill. Nothing outside Tokyo's 24 Kaikan hotel hints at what goes on behind its grey concrete walls. Tucked in off a back-street near the Shinjuku business and shopping district, the seven-story building could be an apartment block for retired civil servants. A steady stream of customers in the salary-man's uniform of dark suit, sensible shoes and winter overcoat files quietly through its innocuous doors. Only in the lobby, cheerily adorned with scenes from a sex movie that depict a portly company president being diligently serviced by a young apprentice, does it become clear that this is one of Asia's biggest gay landmarks.

Sunday Times - UK:
Harriet Harman Says We WILL Be Equal! By Jonathan Oliver. Harriet Harman was sitting in her House of Commons office last week when the news came through that the Pope was on the warpath, with the British government in his sights. Labour MPs recall that the normally cheery Labour deputy leader emerged from her den behind the Speaker’s chair with a fierce scowl as she contemplated the situation...

Sunday Mercury - UK:
Gay Porn Fury of Homosexual Prisoner. By Ben Goldby. A gay crook has accused prison guards of breaching his human rights because they confiscated homosexual porn he bought at Winson Green. John O’Reilly claims guards at HMP Dovegate in Staffordshire nabbed the mags when he was transferred there from HMP Birmingham.

USA and the AMERICAS

The Advocate - USA:
Gillibrand Proposes End to DADT Funding. By Julie Bolcer. Calling the recent “don’t ask, don’t tell” hearings an “important first step,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced Saturday that she plans to introduce an amendment to bar funding for the enforcement of the policy.

Madison Capital Times - USA:
A Cheat Sheet for Straight Allies. Commentary by Deb Price. “So what’s the big deal?” That was the question from a young colleague when the issue of gays in the military came back up. Those of us who’re gay hear that response more and more often from heterosexual co-workers, relatives and friends.

Forbes - USA:
Brazil Handing Out 55M Condoms for Carnival. Brazilian health officials have kicked off an AIDS awareness campaign and will hand out 55 million condoms during the annual Carnival festival that begins next week. Health Minister Jose Temporao said Saturday that this year's campaign is focusing on educating young women and young gay men to use protection.

AUSTRALASIA

GayNZ - New Zealand:
Unease at Paper's 'Outing' of Alison Mau. Gay people with connections to Alison Mau are remaining tight-lipped about today's Herald on Sunday front pager that claims veteran TV presenter Alison Mau is "understood" to be in a relationship with another woman.

Sydney Star Observer - Australia:
The Parade Set to Inspire. By Sunny Burns. Since 1978 the parade has not only been one of the vital components of Mardi Gras but its history has helped shape the Australian gay and lesbian community. Initially a protest demonstration, the parade has developed into an iconic event which attracts thousands of national and international onlookers.

Saturday February 6, 2010

Mideast Youth - Middle East:
Podcast: Homosexuality in Sudan – A Conversation With a Gay Blogger. By Reem Shawkat in Sudan. This is the first podcast in a long series on homosexuality in Sudan. Mideast Youth talks to Ali, a single gay Sudanese man living and working in the Gulf. Duration of audio is 27 minutes. Essential listening. Mideast Youth is a group of progressive students from across the Middle East who are not afriad to tackle "taboos".

The Advocate - USA:
View From Washington: Mullen's Moment. Commentary by Kerry Eleveld. With Adm. Mike Mullen clearing the way, the LGBT movement has a clear shot at finally eliminating "don't ask, don't tell." But will activists seize the moment?

Army Times - USA:
Military Times Surveys Troops on ‘Don’t Ask’. By Brendan McGarry. Opposition to gays serving openly in the military has declined sharply among those wearing the uniform today, the Military Times newspapers will report Monday.

Cleveland Plain Dealer - USA:
Put an End to "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"; Allow Gays to Serve Openly in the Military. Editorial. Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said openly on Capitol Hill this week what every senior commander has probably known for a long time: that throughout his military career he has served with men and women who were homosexuals, but who were forced to hide that fact. Mullen then went a step further ...

National Public Radio - USA:
What Would It Take To End 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'? By Kevin Whitelaw. Adm. Mike Mullen's surprise and impassioned call this week for an end to "don't ask, don't tell" single-handedly shifted the momentum in the long-running debate over the policy that bans gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. But the Pentagon says it could take nearly a year to study all the various issues caused by the ban's potential lifting.

UK and EUROPE

The Guardian - UK:
We Don't Need Gay Stereotypes. Commentary by Balaji Ravichandran. Stereotypes were useful during the struggle for rights – but if we hold on to them we risk dividing the gay community.

Irish Independnet - Ireland:
Bullies Use 'Gay' Taunts to Target 10-Year-Olds in Primary School. By John Walshe. Boys as young as 10 are being subjected to homophobic taunts in school calling them "gay and lesbian". A new survey of almost 2,000 parents suggests the greatest insult to a schoolboy is calling him a "girl, woman, or gay".

Ice News - Iceland:
Lesbian Love Ad Banned by Swedish Newspapers. Two Swedish newspapers have deemed that an advertisement which features a trio of half-naked women is inappropriate for publication, much to the surprise of the ad’s creators at a sexual health organisation.

Ekklesia - UK:
Call for Tories to Follow Cameron Lead on Sex and Relationships Education. The Accord Coalition, which campaigns for inclusive schooling, has welcomed Conservative leader David Cameron’s recent comments on the importance of Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), and urged a corresponding change in the official Tory position on the Children, Schools and Families Bill. This week Mr Cameron told the gay magazine, Attitude, that it is important to prevent a rise in homophobia in schools, including faith schools. by “having some good ground rules about the teaching of things like sex education”.

The Scotsman - UK:
Pope Urges Scots Bishops to Tackle 'the Increasing Tide of Secularism'. By Tom Peterkin. Scotland is a country plagued by sectarianism and struggling with a rising "tide of secularism", the Pope has declared, in an address to the country's Catholic bishops in Rome.

BBC News - UK:
Video Report: A Single Man and Its Impact on Gay Liberation. It was one of the most controversial and shocking novels about the 1960s, but now Christopher Isherwood's book A Single Man is being released as a new film. From "World News Today"

USA and the AMERICAS

Huffington Post - USA:
State of the LGBT Movement: Speeches Aren't Change, Change Is More than Words. By Bil Browning in Dallas. National Gay & Lesbian Task Force Executive Director Rea Carey presented the Annual State of the Movement address today at the 22nd Creating Change conference in Dallas, Texas. The speech was a real barnburner that brought the crowd to their feet multiple times as Carey called out Congress and President Obama to show "what a 'fierce advocate' could do."

Q Notes - USA:
Poly Charlotteans: One Year Later. By Matt Comer. In qnotes’ first-ever Sex Issue last May, we interviewed four young gay men in Charlotte navigating the “slippery path” of polyamorous love. At the time, they’d just finished shooting for MTV’s documentary “True Life.”

Raw Story - USA:
Christians Claim Hate Crimes Law an Effort to ‘Eradicate’ Their Beliefs. By Stephen C. Webster. A Christian group in Michigan has filed a lawsuit alleging that hate crimes laws named after murder victim Matthew Shepard are an affront to their religious freedom.

Washington Post - USA:
Potomac Students Get Fliers Saying Therapy Turns Gays Straight. By Michael Birnbaum. Some Montgomery County high schools passed out fliers this week from an organization that contends gays can become heterosexual through therapy, and the schools say they cannot prevent the use of their distribution system by such groups.

Chicago Sun-Times - USA:
Boy Using Eyeliner Sues Over Taunts. Lawsuit alleges school did 'virtually nothing' to protect gay teen from classmates' bullying - district may settle.

ASIA

Times of India - India:
Teens who Self-Identify as Gay, Lesbian at Suicide Risk. A new study has shown that teenagers who self-identify as gays, lesbians and bisexuals are at a greater risk of having suicidal thoughts.

AUSTRALASIA

GayNZ - New Zealand:
Murderer of Gay Man Loses Appeal. A man given a life sentence for murdering a gay man in 2002 has lost his appeal against the conviction.

GayNZ - New Zealand:
Opening Up About Our Open Relationships. By Matt Akersten. Groundbreaking New Zealand research which confirmed what Kiwi gay and bi men have known for ages, that monogamy's not for every couple, is now being echoed in the USA.

Sydney Star Observer - Australia:
Do You Dare to Bare? By Ani Lamont. On Monday, March 1, Spencer Tunick will ask Sydney’s gay and lesbian community to grab “a token straight friend” and get their kit off, in the name of art and Mardi Gras.

Friday February 5, 2010

UK and EUROPE

The Independent - South Africa:
'Give Gay Refugees from Africa Asylum in UK'. By Daniel Martin. Gay refugees from Africa should be granted asylum in the UK, David Cameron has said. The Tory leader suggested that homosexuals should be allowed to stay in Britain if their lives would be put in danger were they sent home.

Pink Paper - UK:
FA Cancel Anti-Homophobia Film Launch. By Jeni Quirke. Plans to launch a short video advert aimed at tackling homophobia in football have today been cancelled by the Football Association (FA).

Pink Paper - UK:
Vodafone Make Homophobic Twitter Comment. A small twitter backlash erupted this afternoon, as a tweet from the official Vodafone UK twitter site said “is fed up of dirty homo's and is going after beaver”.

The Varsity - UK:
Students Lash Out Against "Homophobic" Remarks of Lib Dem Councillor. By Claire Gatzen. Cambridge students have reacted furiously to homophobic comments made by a Cambridge Liberal Democrat councillor.

USA and the AMERICAS

DC Agenda - USA:
Pelosi Unsure About ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal This Year. By Chris Johnson. U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Thursday she’s unsure whether the House will overturn “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” this year before the Pentagon completes its review on implementing repeal.

Raw Story - USA:
Oliver North: After Gays Allowed Into Military, Pedophiles Will Follow. Oliver North, the former Marine implicated in the Iran-Contra scandal and current Fox News host, says allowing gays to serve openly in the military will lead to same-sex marriages in the military and the admission of pedophiles to the armed forces

The Advocate - USA:
Discord on DADT Repeal. By Kerry Eleveld. Just after Tuesday’s Senate Armed Services Committee hearings on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Sen. Carl Levin told reporters that he had not ruled out pushing for full congressional repeal of the law in 2010 but added that he thought placing a moratorium on discharges was “a more likely prospect.”

AFRICA

BBC News - UK:
Uganda Gay Bill 'Will be Changed'. Uganda's controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill is likely to be changed, a minister has told the BBC. However, Deputy Foreign Minister Henry Okello Oryem did not give details of how he thought the final bill would be different to the current proposals.

The Nation - USA:
Ten Things to Oppose the Anti-Gay Legislation in Uganda. Commentary. Although homosexuality is criminalized in 80 countries, the Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill of 2009 is the most outrageous attempt to sanction homophobia and threaten the human rights of all its citizens.

ASIA

Al-Bab - UK:
Arabs, Gay Rights and Modernity. Commentary by Brian Whittaker. Hussein Ibish, of the American Task Force on Palestine, has written a thoughtful and, I think, important essay about the controversy surrounding Joseph Massad and gay rights in the Arab countries.

AUSTRALASIA

GayNZ - New Zealand:
Meet Mr. Gay New Zealand! By Matt Akersten. This is 29-year-old Justin Savage, who'll represent Aotearoa in the Worldwide Mr. Gay 2010 pageant, happening in Norway next weekend...

Thursday February 4, 2010

UK Gay News - UK:
President Obama Calls Uganda ‘Kill Gays’ Bill “Odious” in Speech at The Family’s National Prayer Breakfast. Hillary Clinton: “We are standing up for gay and lesbians”. The top two people in the United States government, the President and the Secretary of State, both slammed the Ugandan “Anti Homosexuality Bill 2009” at The Family’s National Prayer Breakfast the morning – and President Barak Obama described the Bill as “odious”.

Agence France Presse - France:
Uganda Dismisses Obama Criticism of Anti-Gay Bill. Uganda's ethics minister on Thursday dismissed virulent criticism of his country's proposed anti-gay law by US President Barack Obama and warned that any interference would be "unacceptable".

Voice of America - USA:
At National Prayer Breakfast Obama calls Anti-Homosexual Legislation in Uganda ‘Odious’. President Obama and Secretary of State Clinton used Thursday’s National Prayer Breakfast in part to address anti-homosexual legislation in Uganda.

UK and EUROPE

Baltic Review - Lithuania:
Homophobic Lithuania Must Rethink Its Attitudes. In many countries in Eastern Europe, tolerance toward gays and lesbians is on the rise – but not in Lithuania, the news agency Delfi laments ...

The Independent - UK:
Let's Talk About Sex: Johann Hari Grills David Cameron Over Gay Rights. Once upon a time, the Tory party set its face gainst gay rights. In the Cameron era, all that's changed. Or has it? Johann Hari puts the would-be PM in the firing line over Section 28, homophobic bullying and, of course, the Tory's political bedfellows in the European Parliament - anong other things.

The Guardian - UK:
Equality: A Two Way Street. Commentary by Tehmina Kazi. The government's recent defeat on religious exemptions in the equality bill has propelled us into difficult, yet depressingly familiar, terrain. How do we make our way through the panoply of groups that comprise society, and preserve a balance between the conflicting interests that arise?

Southwark News - UK:
Too Frightened to Leave His Home, the Man 'Bullied & Insulted' Because He's Gay. By Oliver Pugh. Most of us take it for granted that we can step outside our front door and walk to the shops for a loaf of bread. But that basic freedom has been taken away from one man, who is so scared of being beaten up that he has become a prisoner in his own home - all, he says, because he is gay.

USA and the AMERICAS

The Advocate - USA:
In Prayer and Protest. As President and Mrs. Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, and thousands of other governmental, business, and religious leaders gather for this morning’s National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., gay and gay-friendly people will hold their own prayer gatherings, called The American Prayer Hour, in 19 cities across the country throughout the day.

New York Times - USA:
Gay NY Teen's Harassment Suit Gets Federal Notice. The bullying by classmates and taunts of ''homo'' only got worse after Jacob began dyeing his hair and wearing eyeliner in eighth grade. One student scrawled ''I hope you die'' on his shoe, he said; another drew a pocket knife on him.

Forbes - USA:
Few Fireworks in Afghanistan Over Gays in Military. By Robert H. Reid (in Kabul) and Russ Bynum (AP). The Pentagon's move to consider letting gays serve openly is generating lively debate on social media sites and among veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan who've returned to the U.S. The fireworks are less evident among troops in Afghanistan.

National Public Radio - USA:
Former Major On Military Gay Ban. A former Air Force major, who was discharged from the Air Force in 2006 for violating the "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, says there is no merit to the argument that repealing the policy would hurt cohesiveness. Mike Almy says the military needs every capable person it can get. Audio (just over 4 minutes) from yesterday's "All Things Considered".

The Advocate - USA:
How Mullen Arrived at DADT Opinion. By Julie Bolcer. The New York Times profiles Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and how he arrived at his statement on Tuesday that “allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do.” Many factors came into play, not including his experience as the son of a Hollywood press agent.

Washington Post - USA:
Colin Powell now Says Gays Should Be Able to Serve Openly in Military. By Karen DeYoung. Retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell, whose opposition to allowing gay men and lesbians to serve openly in the military helped lead to adoption of the "don't ask, don't tell" legislation 17 years ago, said Wednesday that he now thinks the restrictive law should be repealed.

New York Gay City News - USA:
One Bright, Shining Moment. Book review by Doug Ireland. At the end of the first decade of the AIDS epidemic, in a 1989 essay in October, the avant-garde quarterly he edited, noted gay intellectual and activist Douglas Crimp recalled what a younger gay man in ACT UP had said to him after seeing an early ’70s gay erotic film ... Moving Politics: Emotion and ACT UP's Fight Against AIDs, by Deborah B. Gould (university of Chicago Press).

St Louis Post-Dispatch - USA:
Trooper's Death Shows Unconstitutionality of Missouri Marriage Law. Reader letters on gay Highway Patrol officer Dennis Engelhard who was killed while on duty - and his life partner of 15 years, Kelly Glossip, will not receive survivor's pension.

Walking with Integrity - USA:
The Ugandan Frankenstein We Have Helped To Create. Commentary by Rev. Canon Albert Ogle. Last week's meeting between the Episcopal Church’s Presiding Bishop, Archbishop of Canterbury and United Nations Secretary General talked about everything important to people of faith, except one glaring omission, Uganda.

DC Agenda - USA:
Senate Bill Would Force D.C. Marriage Referendum. By Lou Chibbaro Jr.. Nine U.S. senators have agreed to introduce a bill that would prohibit D.C. from allowing same-sex marriages to be performed in the city until voters are allowed to decide the issue through a referendum or initiative.

Wednesday February 3, 2010

UK and EUROPE

UK Gay News - UK:
MEP Celebrates Victory in Equal Tax Rights for British Gay Couples Living in France. Graham Watson, the Lib Dem MEP who represents the UK’s South West and Gibraltar Euro-constituency, is celebrating a hard-won victory in the battle to secure equal rights for UK same-sex couples living in France.

UK Gay News - UK:
MP Launches New ‘Fastest’ HIV Testing Centre at Gay Men’s Health Group THT in Gloucester. A new facility where gay men can be speedily tested for HIV has opened in Gloucester. Inaugurating the ‘drop-in’ centre, run by Terrence Higgins Trust, was Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda (Labour).

UK Gay News - UK:
Gay Humanists Thank Pope for Reinforcing Case for Secularism. The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has questioned Pope Benedict’s attack on Britain’s Equality laws – and they have said that this reinforces the importance of creating a truly secular Europe in which no religion or belief system holds a privileged position.

Pink Paper - UK:
Labour's Harriet Harman backs down on Equality Bill. By Peter Lloyd. Harriet Harman, the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, has backed down against forcing religious leaders to implement equality on who they can employ via legislation.

Kent News - UK:
Gay History Month: Life for Gays Is Improving but Vigilance & Action Still Needed. Commentary by Ray Duff. February 2010 sees the latest LGBT History Month and this year, on the plus side Kent Police, whom i've liaised with for ten years or so, have just achieved 9th place on the recent Stonewall (gay rights group) best employers list having revised and improved their efforts.

Ekklesia - UK:
Pope Criticised for 'Inept' Attack on UK Equality Bill. The Cutting Edge Consortium, which brings together people of all faiths and none to support the Equality Bill currently going through the British Parliament, has criticised the Pope's recent comments on the issue of discrimination. Equalities campaigners have dubbed the Pontiff's attack on the Bill "inept".

USA and the AMERICAS

Q Notes - USA:
Charlotte Youth Rally for Social Justice. By Matt Comer. Thirty youth from 17 different high schools across the area participated in this year’s Charlotte Coalition for Social Justice (CCSJ) Civil Rights Conference.

BBC News - UK:
Viewpoint: Gay US Airman. US Air Force pilot Lt Col Victor Fehrenbach - who is currently in the process of being discharged for being gay - tells BBC News what reversing the ban would mean to him.

Army Times - USA:
Mullen's Post: Tweet Heard Round the World. By Philip Ewing. News about one of the biggest changes for the modern U.S. military circulated around the world this week at the speed of light — and in fewer than 140 characters.

The Advocate - USA:
Mullen, Gates Give Historic DADT Testimony. By Kerry Eleveld. Defense secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday that they support President Barack Obama’s aspiration to repeal a discriminatory policy that prevents gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military.

New York Times - USA:
Top Defense Officials Seek to End ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’. By Elizabeth Bumiller. The nation’s top two defense officials called Tuesday for an end to the 16-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” law, a major step toward allowing openly gay men and women to serve in the United States military for the first time.

New York Times - USA:
Equality in the Military. Editorial. History was made on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. More than 16 years after their predecessors helped impose the odious “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, the nation’s two top defense officials called on Congress to repeal the law that bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly in the military. The principled courage of the defense secretary and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a major step forward for civil rights. See also Defending the Long Gay Line by Maureen Dowd.

The Advocate - USA:
Dan Choi Interviewed by ABC. Lt. Daniel Choi, a West Point grad and Iraq war veteran who faces dismissal from the Army under “don’t ask, don’t tell,” was interviewed on ABC’s evening news Tuesday night. Page includes embedded video of the interview.

AFRICA

Afrique en Ligne - France:
Malawi Police Hunt for Gay Rights Activists, One Arrested. Police in Malawi are hunting for a group of gay rights activists who are secretly mobilizing the public to warm up to homosexuals following the high profile arrest of Malawi's first openly gay couple in the commercial capital, Blantyre, over Christmas. See also BBC News.

Box Turtle Bulletin - USA:
Andrew Wommack and His Ministries Want To Kill You. By Jim Burroway. Andrew Wommack is an American Evangelical Pastor who has a very large presence in Uganda, where that nation’s Parliament is considering the Anti-Homosexuality Bill which would provide for the death sentence for HIV-positive LGBT people, and life imprisonment for the rest. Click HERE to see Box Turtle Bulletin’s complete coverage of recent anti-gay developments in Uganda.

ASIA

Kathmandu Post - Nepal:
Capital to See First LGBT Centre in Region. Nepal has been ahead of other South Asian countries to ensure the legal rights of sexual #minorities. Now, members of the community have decided to establish a South Asian Community Centre, said to be the first of its kind in the region, in the Capital with an aim to empower and foster a sense of unity among sexual minorities.

Tuesday February 2, 2010

UK and EUROPE

UK Gay News - UK:
Papal Attack on UK Equality Legislation Angers Gays, Women. The Pope’s criticism of UK equality laws, including the Equality Bill that is currently before parliament, an unholy row yesterday.

Left Foot Forward - UK:
The Pope Is Wrong: Britain’s Equalities Legislation Strengthens “Natural Law”. Commentary. Yesterday the religious right made its latest attack on UK equalities legislation. Pope Benedict XVI declared the UK’s laws contrary to the Catholic vision of “natural law.” Many people have surmised that he was talking about either the Equalities Bill going through Parliament at the moment or the Sexual Orientation Regulations introduced last year which made it illegal for adoption agencies – including those managed by Catholic churches – to deny adoption to gay couples.

Pink Paper - UK:
Sir Ian McKellen to Support Charity Fundraiser, This Weekend. By James Sanders. Actor Sir Ian McKellen is just one of several celebrities who will be supporting a winter fundraiser in aid of homeless charity Albert Kennedy Trust, this weekend.

Reading Post - UK:
Homophobic Bullying ‘Not a Political Issue’. Leader of the Conservatives Andrew Cumpsty hit out at Liberal Democrats for making “political issue” of the subject of homophobic bullying. Cllr Cumpsty told Reading Borough Council last Tuesday night: “Growing up in the north of Britain, I myself was a victim of homophobic bullying at school. It is an issue that amazes me and depresses me that people try to make a political issue about this.

The Independent - UK:
Gay Actors Face Obstacles. Colin Firth claimed today that gay actors risk missing out on work if they come out.

USA and the AMERICAS

UK Gay News - UK:
Members of Congress Call on Boy Scouts of America to End Its Discrimination against Gays and Lesbians. Twenty-six Members of the United States Congress last night urged the Boy Scouts of America to end its discriminatory policy of not accepting gays and lesbians.

DC Agenda - USA:
Recalling 1993, Activists Prepare for ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal Push. By Chris Johnson. Activists are ramping up efforts this year to push for repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” while remembering that similar optimism in 1993 on lifting the ban on gays serving openly led to the law’s creation.

BBC News - UK:
Gays in the Military: The UK and US Compared. When the UK took the step of allowing gay men and women to serve openly in the armed forces 10 years ago, public opinion was in favour but the armed forces themselves were not.

AlterNet - USA:
At National Prayer Breakfast, Obama to Address Shadowy Christian Group Tied to Uganda's 'Kill the Gays' Bill. By Adele M. Stan. The National Prayer Breakfast, an annual Washington exercise attended by politicians of all stripes who wish to demonstrate their piety, is one of those must-go events for the U.S. president, or so the conventional wisdom has it. Every president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has attended. See also Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington commentary and The Raw Story.

Wall Street Journal - USA:
Iraq Veteran Leads 'Don't Ask' Push. By Yochi J. Dreazen . The Obama administration's staunchest ally in the uphill fight to allow gays to openly serve in the nation's military is a little-known Democratic congressman named Patrick Murphy, an Iraq war veteran who has written the only legislation that would repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" restrictions.

KEZI Eugene News - USA:
Swastika Found at the UO's LGBTQA Office. Someone spray painted a giant swastika on the floor of the LGBTQA office at the University of Oregon.

LGBT Points of View - USA:
Obama’s Clintonian Compromise on ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t’ Tell’. Commentary by Karen Ocamb. Let’s face it: the Commander-in-Chief and Congress are secretly afraid of the old men in the military. And the old men in the military, so accustomed to automatic deference by all branches of the US government, are afraid of losing their power as times and the culture change. They cannot fathom that younger soldiers and leaders, the ones the old men are sending to fight two wars, are no longer afraid of dropping their soap bar in the shower

AFRICA

Radio Nederlands Worldwide - Netherlands:
The State We're In: Being Gay in Africa - Special. A 50-minute radio programme looking at what it's like to be gay throughout Africa with voices from Namibia, Ghana, Uganda and South Africa. The entire programme is available, or there are shorter clips.

Monday February 1, 2010

UK and EUROPE

The Guardian - UK:
Pope Condemns Gay Equality Laws Ahead of First UK Visit. By Riazat Butt. Benedict XVI says legislation safeguarding rights of same-sex couples violates 'natural law' of human equality.

The Independent - UK:
Pope: I'll Visit But I Don't Like Your Equality Laws. By Jerome Taylor. The Pope confirmed today that he will make an official state visit to Britain this September – and immediately launched an attack on the Government’s plans to introduce stronger equality legislation for gay men and women.

The Independent - UK:
The Ex-Gay Files: The Bizarre World of Gay-to-Straight Conversion. Is homosexuality a form of mental illness? A small but evangelical band of psychotherapists believe that it is – and they're on a mission to 'heal' the afflicted. Patrick Strudwick enters the bizarre world of gay-to-straight conversion.

The Guardian - UK:
BBC Research into Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Portrayal Offers Hope. By Peter Tatchell. The BBC decision to commission research into its portrayal of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people is a welcome, if somewhat belated, initiative. It comes in response to two decades of sustained – and often ignored – criticism of the BBC by LGB licence payers, journalists, campaigners and media analysts.

Pink Paper - UK:
Outrage! Planning Civil Partnership Legal Battle. By Peter Lloyd. A simultaneous legal challenge to the ban on same-sex marriage and opposite-sex civil partnerships is being prepared by gay human rights group OutRage!, this week.

The Guardian - UK:
Julie Bindel's Dangerous Transphobia. Commentary by CL Minou. Beatrix Campbell was wrong – refusing to give Bindel a platform is not censorship. It is the right reaction to her hateful views.

Huddersfield Daily Examiner - UK:
Huddersfield to Host Is First Gay Pride March. By Barry Gibson. Huddersfield will host a Gay Pride march next year. Organisers of the Pink Picnic are drawing up plans for the parade from Huddersfield town centre to Greenhead Park in the summer of 2011.

Belfast Telegraph - UK:
Outspoken Bishop Tells of His ‘Deep Love’ for Boyfriend. By Rachel Quigley. Controversial self-styled bishop Pat Buckley has spoken about his “deep love” for his Filipino boyfriend ahead of their marriage — stating he can see no contradiction between their partnership and his faith.

Pink Paper - UK:
Bar Manager Pleads Guilty to Theft and Fraud. By Lisa Rogers. The former manager of a Birmingham gay bar has been convicted of stealing from his employers.

USA and the AMERICAS

Jamaica Observer - Jamaica:
Muslim Leader Blasts Gay Lifestyle. By Karyl Walker. President of the Islamic Council of Jamaica, Mustafa Muhammad, says he agrees with the Sharia law which prescribes death for people who openly flaunt homosexual behaviour. Muhammad did not mince words as he lashed out against what he described as an unclean, unnatural lifestyle.

The Advocate - USA:
View From Washington: Reimagining Repeal. Commentary by Kerry Eleveld. Last Monday, my column included a quote from a Capitol Hill insider who worried that the Obama administration might be dragging its heels on repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” So when reports began to emerge Monday afternoon that President Barack Obama might include “don’t ask, don’t tell” in his State of the Union speech, I wondered if perhaps movement had begun that several of my sources had not picked up on.

DC Agenda - USA:
OMB Director Sees no ‘Funding Implication’ for ‘Don’t Ask’ Repeal. By Chris Johnson. The director of the Office of Management & Budget told reporters on Sunday that “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal won’t be included in the president’s initial budget request because there’s no “funding implication” for overturning the law.

Washington Post - USA:
Repeal the Military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. Editorial. President Obama has been clear about wanting the reversal of the prohibition on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the military. He said so during the campaign. He repeated it at a gay-pride event at the White House last June. He reiterated it at a gay rights organization's dinner in October. And he was unambiguous when he told the nation during his State of the Union address, "This year, I will work with Congress and our military to finally repeal the law that denies gay Americans the right to serve the country they love because of who they are. It's the right thing to do." The ball is now in Congress's court.

New York Times - USA:
Forces Pushing Obama to Act on Gays in Military. By Elizabeth Bumiller. President Obama and top Pentagon officials met repeatedly over the past year about repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the law that bans openly gay members of the military.

San Francisco Chronicle - USA:
Gay Chorus Hits Hinterlands to Open Hearts. By C.W. Nevius. They came. They sang. They wore pink cowboy hats. When the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus embarked on its Freedom Tour into the heart of Proposition 8 territory over the weekend, there were concerns.

AFRICA

Voice of America - USA:
Malawi Court Keeps Same-Sex Couple in Jail, Pending Verdict. A high court judge’s denial of bail to Malawi’s first openly gay couple as their trial in Blantyre enters its final phase continues to draw international attention from gay rights advocates. Homosexuality is illegal in Malawi, and the couple, Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, who staged a traditional wedding ceremony in December, could face up to 14 years in jail if convicted. This page contains an audio interview with Malawi Daily Times Reporter Watipaso Mzungu.

Agence France Press - France:
Zimbabwe Anglicans Stage Protest Service. Thousands of churchgoers held an open air protest service in Harare on Sunday in a row over property belonging to the Anglican Church. Zimbabwe's Anglicans have been embroiled in a feud since 2007, when the former bishop of Harare Nolbert Kunonga refused to hand over property in protest at what he said was the church's pro-gay stance.