Benjamin Cohen founded PinkNews.co.uk in 2005 and was editor until 2006. He was technology correspondent at Channel 4 News between 2006 and 2012.
Twitter: @benjamincohen-
7 July 2006Sado-masochism art at National Gallery to include warnings to parents 2 An exhibition of photographs by the late Robert Mapplethorpe at the National Gallery of Scotland will contain a warning to parents that images are of an "explicit nature."The gay photographer died of AIDS in 1989 and since his death the value of his work has rocketed.Mapplethorpes photographs range from relatively tame images of nude men and women to extremely explicit examples of sado-masochism. -
7 July 2006Robbie Williams accused of hypocrisy over gay jibe 8 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveRobbie Williams, the former Take That star who successfully sued the People and the Daily Star over claims that he was secretly gay, has been accused of hypocrisy after he joked that his footballer friend Robbie Savage, is gay.Williams told a packed Amsterdam Arena that he had news about the Blackburn Rovers star Savage. Williams said: "he's coming out." -
6 July 2006Celebrity Big Brother star Pete Burns appears in court 1 The cross dressing former front man of 1980s band Dead or Alive appeared in court yesterday accused of threatening to kill his ex-gay lover.The Celebrity Big Brother contestant was accused of waging a month-long harassment campaign against his former boyfriend Jason Peters. The 46-year-old appeared late in the court dressed in a kimono and platform shoes. -
6 July 2006Gay paedophile jailed indefinitely for assault on boy 1 A convicted paedophile from Warrington who sexually assaulted an 11-year-old boy has been imprisoned indefinitely after a judge labelled him as causing a "significant risk of danger" to young people.Sentencing Scott Worrall to a minimum of four years, Judge Roger Dutton said that he will not be released for as long as he remains a danger to society. -
6 July 2006Jewish gay rights leader tells extremists: “our gentle innocent blood will be on your hands” 23 A Jewish gay rights leader says that he will be ignoring threats from the religious communities within Israel to approach Temple Mount during the WorldPride march in Jerusalem next month.Charles Merrill, 72, was reacting to a statement by Arab member of the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), Ibrahim Sarsur, who said: " If gays will dare approach the Temple Mount during the parade, they will do so over our dead bodies." -
6 July 2006Prescott to face inquiry over stay with homophobic billionaire + The deputy prime minister, John Prescott has told the BBC that he will not resign despite pressure over his meetings with a homophobic billionaire who aims to turn the Millennium Dome into a super-casino.Mr Prescott told BBC Radio 4: "I will get on with doing my job and I'm not leaving it."However, the decision to keep Mr Prescott in office is one that can only be made the Prime minister, Tony Blair. -
6 July 2006Ken Livingstone looks back to school days to launch anti-homophobia campaign + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone joined with teachers andeducationalists to launch an anti-homophobic bullying campaign spearheaded by the gay rights charity Stonewall.He drew on his own "behind the bike sheds" experiences to illustrate the change in educational needs relating to homophobia since the 1950s. -
5 July 2006Madonna’s gay brother fed up of sibling questions + Madonna's gay brother has told a gay magazine that he's sick of men only speaking to him because of his famous sister.Christopher Ciccone, the brother of the gay icon, Madonna told Attitude: "A fan doesn't put me off; it just annoys me when the questioning continues."He went on to say: "Sometimes I'll meet a guy at a bar and they won't stop talking about her." -
5 July 2006Gay campaigner Nimrod Ping dies aged 46 5 A gay former councillor well known in Brighton and Hove died on Monday at the age of 46.Nimrod Ping served for eight years as a councillor at the former Brighton Borough Council (now Brighton and Hove) from 1991. He was twice elected chairman of the planning committee and also the licensing committee.Thanks to his unusual name, Mr Ping attracted national notoriety. -
5 July 2006Prescott under fire for anti-gay link 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott has come under fire from the gay community for his decision to stay with an American billionaire who is not only bidding to run a government licensed casino, but is also a well known for his anti-gay views.This is just the latest in a long lines of scandals to have engulfed Mr Prescott in recent months and centres on his undeclared stay with senior civil servants on Philip Anschutz's ranch in July of last year. -
5 July 2006Jersey Politicians vote to reduce gay age of consent + Politicians on the island of Jersey have voted for a new sexual offences law that will reduce the age of consent for gay sex to 16.Deputies in the States Assembly voted by 38 votes to 11 to approve the new law that also includes a new offence of grooming a child and abusing a position of trust.Deputies will now debate an amendment that seeks to strengthen laws relating to the abuse of trust. -
5 July 2006Prescott under fire for his anti-gay links 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott has come under fire from the gay community for his decision to stay with an American billionaire who is not only bidding to run a government licensed casino, but is also a well known for his anti-gay views.This is just the latest in a long lines of scandals to have engulfed Mr Prescott in recent months and centres on his undeclared stay with senior civil servants on Philip Anschutz's ranch in July of last year.
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4 July 2006Venue cancels Buju Banton gig after protests 7 A Brighton music venue has caved into pressure from the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community, Brighton and Hove City Council and Police by cancelling a performance tomorrow by singer Buju Banton, who is known for his homophobic lyrics.In a statement, Concorde 2 said: "We sincerely apologise to ticket holders for any inconvenience this may cause, but we are concerned that we will have our licence revoked and that our premises could be closed down." -
4 July 2006Anti-gay feelings unite Israel’s orthodox Jews and Muslims 23 Ultra-orthodox Jews and Muslims in Israel have at last found one thing that they agree on, their condemnation of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community."If gays will dare approach the Temple Mount during the parade, they will do so over our dead bodies," Arab Member of Knesset Ibrahim Sarsur said in a statement. -
4 July 2006Rise in sexual health diagnosis in UK + Figures released today by the Health Protection Agency show that the number of sexually transmitted infections (STI) diagnosed in the UK increased by three per cent between 2004 and 2005. However, in relation to gonorrhoea, new diagnoses fell by 13 per cent, a decrease for the second successive year.The figures for the country as a whole (straight and LGBT) last year show that there were 790,387 diagnoses of STI and an overall increase of nine per cent to 1,839,241 visits to sexual health clinics. -
4 July 2006South Korean film banned from China for gay theme + The most popular South Korean film ever has been banned from Chinese cinemas due to subtle gay themes according to the film's distributors."The film 'King and the Clown' could not pass the deliberation process in China because of the homosexual code and sexually explicit language in the film," a spokesman from South Korean distributor CJ told Reuters. -
4 July 2006Risky sex must be disclosed to partners, court rules + The Californian Supreme Court has found that people who engage in high-risk sex should inform their partners that they may carry HIV, even if they have not been tested as HIV positive.Yesterday, in a majority ruling, the court found that a man who was accused of passing on HIV to his ex-wife on their honeymoon had "constructive knowledge" of his past gay sexual behaviour that should have led him to warn her of the dangers of having sexual intercourse with him. -
4 July 2006Mayor looks back to school days to launch anti-homophobia campaign + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone joined with teachers andeducationalists to launch an anti-homophobic bullying campaign spearheaded by the gay rights charity Stonewall.He drew on his own "behind the bike sheds" experiences to illustrate the change in educational needs relating to homophobia since the 1950s.
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30 June 2006An alternative night out after EuroPride + Bar and club owners have been criticised in the past for hiking up prices for Pride weekend and this weekend's Europride will be no exception. However, one promoter is offering an alternative to the hiked up prices if you journey South of the River Thames.Running for the eleventh year in a row, South London performance and club night Duckie is running their Gay Shame special. This year, the event will have a European theme and has been renamed EuroShame. -
29 June 2006HIV research on brain dead is immoral + A British academic has criticised the Australian ethicist Peter Singer for claiming that HIV research should be conducted on brain damaged humans.Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University in the USA is best known for his controversial views on bestiality, euthanasia and disability. In June he suggested that HIV research should be conducted on people in a persistent vegetative state as they are will not suffer because they are "beyond consciousness."
