Charles Jones, a 48-year old architect from London, is considered to be the world’s first openly gay boxer.

He has been a regular participant in white-collar boxing for the past five years and fought his latest bout against Conservative MP for Monmouth David Davies.

Davies, 37, beat him on points over three rounds, in a result that disappointed Jones and his supporters.

Jones told PinkNews.co.uk: “In the weeks leading up to the fight, everyone was telling me I had to win and make mincemeat of him.

“I’m not sure whether that was because they wanted me to win or because they wanted to see an MP get beaten up, but suffice to say it was a disappointment when I lost.

“In my defence, he is eleven years my junior and extremely strong, but I was still on my feet by the end of the match, which is always a bonus.”

“White-collar” or “City boxing” allows professional men and women, most of whom have no previous experience, to train and fight at special boxing events.

Originating in New York, the sport first came to prominence in London in the 1990s, when businessman Alan Lacey founded The Real Fight Club, aimed at City executives.

The “upmarket” branch of the sport has seen an influx of middle-class fighters who train for matches alongside their high-paid City careers.

Jones won his first fight in January 2003, after training in The Ring, a London gym run by former fighter Mark Burford, who now acts as his manager.

It was Burford who created Jones’ now famous nickname, ‘The Pink Pounder,’ a title Jones was initially wary of.

“Part of me did worry about how people would react to me being gay, particularly when interest in who I was began to spiral.

“Although I have had a lot of critique about my boxing skills, those comments are justified and I have never experienced any negative press about my sexuality.

“I try to promote a positive image of what a gay man is. I’m not a gay man who happens to box; I’m a boxer who happens to be a gay man.”

Yet Jones believes that it is his status as a white-collar boxer that has helped the boxing community accept his sexuality.

“The world of white-collar boxing is significantly less intense than the mainstream sport and real boxers wouldn’t see me as a threat.

“I can hold my own with other white-collar fighters, but even an amateur boxer would wipe me out in a traditional ring.

“Maybe if I was 20 and a rising star in an amateur boxing ring, people may be a bit more aware of my sexuality.”

Following his defeat last week, Jones has put his boxing training on hold and is currently focusing on his career.

But he isn’t ruling out the possibility of a comeback fight just yet.

“I hope to get back in the ring again at some point. Although next time, I want to fight someone a little bit closer to my own age.”

photo: arriba@flickr.com

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council (PACE) is now appealing to European Union (EU) member states to take a series of measures aiding risk detection and prevention of child and teenage suicide, including repeat attempts.

The document, Child and teenage suicide in Europe: A serious public health issue reaffirms “the importance the PACE attaches to respecting sexual and physical differences and emphasises its commitment to combating homophobia and the stigma attached to all sexual behaviours, including transexualism.”

The Council of Europe, which sits in Strasbourg, France, predates the EU.

It places particular emphasis on legal standards and protection of human rights and serves 800 million Europeans across 47 countries.

Bernard Marquet, rapporteur of the Social, Health and Family Affairs Committee, speaking at a debate on the report said: “It is crucial that governments recognise teenage suicide as a major public health problem and implement appropriate health and welfare policies to prevent such despairing acts.”

The Assembly is also in favour of increasing measures to fight homophobia and stigmatisation of any sexual lifestyle whatsoever.

Point 10 of their draft resolution states:

“The Assembly is concerned at evidence that suicidality among young lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people is significantly higher than in the general young population.

“It notes that this heightened risk is not a function of their sexual orientation or gender identity, but of the stigmatisation, marginalisation and discrimination which they experience because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. As such, this heightened risk has a significant human rights dimension.”

According to the Children, Young People and Families Programme, there is little information or support available in schools to counteract the negative messages about homosexuality and transgenderism.

Their research found that young LGBT people are coming out at significantly younger ages meaning they are facing homophobic bullying when they are still in education.

Mr Marquet, an Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe member, added that risk behaviour arising from pacts or dares between young people, as well as the promotion of suicide on the internet is perpetuating the problem.

He emphasised that it is necessary to provide systematic psycho-social support measures with a view to preventing repeat attempts, recalling that 15% of adolescents who have attempted suicide will try and do so again.

National Socialist Front (NSF) leader Simon Lindberg, had the three month sentence handed down by a district court confirmed by the Court of Appeal in Malmo.

The 24-year old and an associate entered an event held by the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights (RFSL), who had gathered at the organisation’s headquarters to watch the Eurovision Song Contest in May last year.

An initial verbal argument quickly became physical with several RFSL members claiming they were threatened with knives and attacked with knuckledusters.

Following his initial court hearing in April last year, Lindberg said the verdict was “political” and commented to news agency TT:

“The lay judges were swayed by who I am, and have not judged professionally. There is no evidence, and in such cases we have a principle of justice which says that one should acquit, not convict.”

Although both Lindberg and his friend both admit to being at the scene, Lindberg claims he went there to discuss politics and argues that he himself was attacked by RFSL members.

Lindberg was convicted of criminal damage, acting as an accessory to abuse and acting as an accessory to unlawful threats, according to The Local.

His 28-year old accomplice is serving a six month sentence for assault, threatening behaviour and careless driving.

The National Socialist Front was founded in 1994 and cites the abolition of democracy, the repatriation of immigrants and the implementation of scientific racism as its main goals.

The organisation, which became a political party in 1999, ran in elections at a national level in 2006 and received 0.03% of the vote, short of the 4% needed for a party to sit in the Swedish parliament.

This NSG demonstration features Lindberg:

Under The Gender Recognition Bill 2008, a person who has had a sex change operation and has a full gender recognition certificate will have their new status legally recognised.

The draft bill has been published by the government and is based on similar legislation introduced in the UK, the Gender Recognition Act released in 2004.

The public are now being invited to comment on the draft bill.

Chief Minister Tony Brown said: “The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights means that the
Isle of Man is under an international legal obligation to change its law to recognise transsexual people in their new gender.

“I would now like to give the general public an opportunity to submit any comments that they may have.”

The main points of the Bill include allowing a transsexual person who has been issued with a full gender recognition certificate to be legally regarded as being of their acquired gender, and that a transsexual will be able to marry a person of the opposite gender to their acquired gender.

The Bill also states that the General Registry will establish a strictly confidential Gender Recognition Register to record the details of all gender recognition certificates that have been offered to the Chief Registrar.

An explanatory paper on the gender Recognition Bill 2008 is now available from the Isle of Man government office, or on its website www.gov.im.

80,000 people live on the Isle of Man.

It has its own legal system, but is a British Crown dependency,

The 41-year old, known only as ‘A’, signed an agreement that he would not occupy the role of father but would act as a ‘favourite uncle’ and have access to the child at the discretion of the couple.

Following the birth of the baby boy in May 2006, the couple claim the man changed his view on the situation and began to see himself as a father.

In his ruling at the High Court in Dublin on Wednesday, Mr Justice John Hedigan found that the man had misled the couple as to his true intentions in entering into the sperm donation agreement.

He ruled that the welfare of the child was best served by the boy to continue in the care, custody and guardianship or the lesbian couple and that the man should not get any court-ordered access.

He stated that there was nothing in Irish law to suggest that a family composed of two women and a child had any lesser right to be recognised as a de facto family than an unmarried man and a woman with a child.

According to RTE News, the Court heard that the couple felt “betrayed and violated” by the man and that the relationship between him and the child’s mother was described as “poisonous.”

The relationship broke down further when the man secured an injunction last year preventing the couple from taking the child to Australia for a year pending the outcome of this action seeking orders for guardianship and access.

Mr Justice Hedigan also stated that the absence of any provisions in Irish law taking account of the existence of same-sex couples and securing their rights under Article 8 was something that called for ‘urgent consideration’ by the the Oireachtas, the Parliament of Ireland.

He said that judging by the evidence presented to the court, situations of same sex couples wishing to bear a child are occurring with greater frequency throughout the world than might have previously been thought.

New legislation before the UK Parliament aims to make it easier for lesbian couples to access NHS fertilisation services.

At present there is no prohibition on licensed clinics treating same-sex couples or single women but the law requires that NHS fertility clinics take account of the “need for a father” when assessing women for treatment.

In practice this can lead to clinics deciding not to accept lesbians and those women instead using “DIY” methods in order to conceive.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill contains new rules that will allow gay and lesbian couples to become the legal parents of a child conceived through donated sperm and replaces the “need for a father” with “responsible parenting.”

The provisions also mean that lesbians will have equal access to fertility services, which could mean IVF but is much more likely to mean assisted conception.

DIY sperm donation will still be legal but under the proposed laws the non-birth mother not in a civil partnership could not be on the birth certificate.

The advantages of using a fertility clinic mean that the donor is registered, and cannot be legally held responsible for the child’s welfare or upkeep.

His name does not appear on the birth certificate.

Details of the donor, such as his last known address, name and medical information are kept and can be shown to the child when he or she reaches 18, or before if the legal parents consent.

For men who may be asked by a lesbian friend to donate sperm, there is the legal reassurance that they can donate informally if they want, become a registered donor, and know that they will not be legally responsible for the child’s maintenance.

Arizona-based website Roommates.com came under fire by The Fair Housing Council of San Fernando Valley and the Fair Housing Council of San Diego, who claimed the site violated the Fair Housing Act by demanding users list their sexual orientation as part of their application form.

In the latest dispute over whether anti-discrimination rules apply to the web, the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the site, which offers more than 100,000 rental listings, was different from sites where people can voluntarily offer or withhold personal information.

In an 8-3 ruling, that partly overturns a lower federal court decision, the panel said that to inquire electronically about sexual orientation would be no different from asking people in person or by telephone if they were black or Jewish before conducting business.

According to OneNews, 9th Circuit Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote:

“Not only does Roommate.com ask these questions, it makes answering the discriminatory questions a condition of doing business.

“Websites are complicated enterprises and there will always be close cases where a clever lawyer could argue that something the website operator did encouraged the illegality.

“Such close cases, we believe, must be resolved in favour of immunity.

“Where it is very clear that the website directly participates in developing the alleged illegality, as it is clear here with respect to Roommate’s questions, answers and the resulting profile pages, immunity will be lost.”

Defence attorney Timothy Alger said in a statement:

“This decision represents a significant departure from what has been settled law across the country.

“We believe the government has no business regulating the selection of roommates or advertising for roommates.”

Three judges disagreed with the ruling, stating that the court was creating a dangerous precedent and future confusion for internet firms.

Having contrasted Roommate.com’s requests for information with search engines, such as Google, which could allow people to search for terms such as “white roommate”, Judge Margaret McKeown wrote:

“The majority’s unprecedented expansion of liability for internet service providers threatens to chill the robust development of the internet that Congress envisioned.

“Roommates.com should be afforded no less protection than Google, Yahoo, or other search engines.”

Edward M Kennedy, who represents Massachusetts, is currently leading the push for a ban on employment bias against gays, lesbians and bisexuals, but will not extend the campaign to include others whose outward appearance does not match their gender at birth.

The younger brother of former US President John F Kennedy, he has previously campaigned for the gay community.

He said it will be an “uphill struggle” to pass the bill, which would make it illegal for employers to make decisions on hiring, firing, promotion or wages based on an employee’s sexual orientation.

The veteran Senator commented that Senate approval of the bill could pave the way for extending protection to transgender workers next year.

In an interview with The Associated Press he said:

“The fact is that the House of Representatives has taken action.

“The best opportunity for progress is to follow along on the action and then look down the road to a new day after we have a good Democratic Congress and a Democratic President.”

The House approved the bill, written by openly gay Representative Barney Frank, in November 2007, despite protests from some gay rights groups that it did not cover transgender workers.

Frank was strongly criticised by many long-time allies in the gay community over the stripped-down bill, but urged them not let the dispute over transgender workers jeopardise an important civil rights gain.

Roberta Sklar, of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force said: “We will strongly oppose it.

“Leaving transgender people out makes that a flawed movement.”

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Centre for Transgender Equality added:

“It was made very clear that most LGBT organisations do not want Congress to shove a civil rights bill down our throats that we don’t want.

However other gay activists, including the Human Rights Campaign, have supported the decision not to insist on immediate transgender protection, arguing that this may have risked the bill’s chance of gaining Congress approval.

President Bush is expected to veto the proposal if it does pass the Senate.

The White House expressed constitutional concerns that the proposal could “trample” religious rights.

Conservative critics of the bill have said it could undermine the rights of people who oppose homosexuality for religious reasons and may lead to a wave of dubious discrimination lawsuits.

Thirteen states plus the District of Columbia currently have workplace anti-discrimination laws covering both sexual orientation and gender identity.

Seven states have anti-discrimination laws covering sexual orientation, but not gender identity.

The bill was discovered by a telecoms consultant who was reviewing telecommunications at the Havering Primary Care Trust (PCT), which runs GP and dentist surgeries across the borough as well as St George’s Hospital in Hornchurch.

He estimated the employee had been calling the line for up to a year during 2006, and reported the incident to be among a number of areas in which he believes thousands of pounds of taxpayer’s money could have been saved.

A spokesman for the PCT told the Romford Recorder:

“The trust was aware of an issue.

“This has been dealt with internally and had been appropriately resolved, which would include dealing with any outstanding monies, if appropriate.”

The spokesman added that during the past two years, the PCT has made savings in excess of £24 million and will announce a surplus at the end of the year.

Vikki-Marie Gaynor, 37, from Wallasey in Wirral, is waiting to hear the exact sum of compensation she will be rewarded following her successful claims of sexual discrimination against Exel Europe, part of delivery giant DHL, and recruitment agency Blue Arrow.

The ex-soldier, who got her HGV licence through the Royal Corps of Transport, claims that previously friendly members of staff at the depot in Kirkby, Merseyside, began a campaign of harassment against her, including dumping her belongings and makeup in a toilet.

Employment judge Mr Homfray-Davies ruled that Blue Arrow did discriminate against Gaynor in the way it dealt with her two grievances and agreed that she was removed from her regular run by Exel/DHL in part because of her transition.

Gaynor told PinkNews.co.uk:

“I am absolutely delighted with the result.

“We got exactly what we wanted, which was for it to be recognised that Exel/DHL and Blue Arrow were both guilty of discrimination.

“The interesting thing is, both companies are global organisations which have stringent anti-discrimination policies in place.

“But these guidelines mean nothing if the employees who run the firms at lower levels dismiss the legislation and operate by their own discriminatory ideas.

“Blue Arrow admitted that they did not follow any statutory procedure for an individual complaining about discrimination, yet tried to justify this was not personal because they didn’t follow the procedure for any employees, regardless of who they are.”

The employment tribunal heard that Blue Arrow had condoned and failed to challenge the discriminatory behaviour of Exel/DHL, failed to support Gaynor when she informed them of the problem and failed to follow their own equal opportunities policy by not dealing with her grievances adequately.

It was also ruled that Exel/DHL did remove Gaynor from her usual run and allocated her runs whereby she was more likely to be “the butt of ribald comments”.

The company was also guilty of ignoring the discriminatory conduct of its staff towards Gaynor, and failed to support her in her complaints about those staff.

Having resigned from her position in March 2007, Gaynor has now set up a business offering schools and employers workshops and information about transexuality.

“I have lived and breathed this case for the past year and a half and I know the devastating effect it can have on someone’s life,” she told PinkNews.co.uk.

“I know that anyone who enters the process of transition is not doing so lightly and it’s a very difficult period, particularly at work.

“I want to make sure that there is more information about being a transgender out in the public sphere so that people are more aware not only of discrimination guidelines, but also of the day-to-day pleasantries when speaking to someone who is going through a transition.”

“There has been some encouraging interest in the Q A sessions that I run, and I recently held a training session with the local police force who felt it would be beneficial to their team.”

Although delighted with the result, Gaynor has experienced severe harassment from members of the public during the process of her case.

She has had her front door kicked down by three men who followed her home, has been shouted at in the street and has been assaulted twice.

Yet she remains positive about the future and is campaigning to change the complaints procedure and legislation for Bluearrow and Exel/DHL to prevent a similar situation in the future.

“The most important aim for me now is to raise awareness of this type of discrimination and ensure that it doesn’t happen to other people.

“I know for a fact that if it were not for my transition, I would still be working for the same company doing the same job and I’m thrilled that the tribunal recognised this.”

“Blue Arrow accepts the outcome of the employment tribunal’s ruling,” a company spokesman told the Daily Mail.

“We now consider the matter closed.

“Blue Arrow is an equal opportunities employer, committed to fair treatment for all.

“We believe that every employee has the right to work in an environment free from harassment, victimisation and bullying.

“We constantly review our anti-discrimination policies in order to ensure employees are treated with respect.”

TEXT OF THE TRIBUNAL JUDGMENT:

The judgment of the Tribunal is that:

1. The claimant had no right to the Llantarnum run.

2. She was removed from it by Exel/DHL, as a regular run, from 14 February 2007, in part because of her transition status. Blue Arrow did not aid or abet Exel/DHL’s discriminatory conduct.

3. The claims that Exel/DHL discriminated against the claimant in the allocation of runs post 14 February 2007, and that Exel/DHL and Blue Arrow failed to be mindful of her transition status in the allocation of runs post 20 February 2007, fail and are dismissed.

4. Exel/DHL did not discriminate against the claimant by failing to issue an edict/briefing/memo post an incident of discrimination by a driver on 1 February 2007.

5. Blue Arrow did discriminate against the claimant in the way it dealt with her two grievances.

6. Exel/DHL did not discriminate against the claimant by the way it dealt with the claimant’s grievances.

7. Exel/DHL did not discriminate against the claimant in any way in respect of the removal and subsequent loss of some of the claimant’s property from the cab of PO 56 BVW.

8. Any claims in respect of the incident of mocking on 1 February 2007 and the offensive gesture by a passing driver of Exel subsequent thereto were not pursued and are dismissed as withdrawn.

9. The claimant is entitled to a day’s pay, which was not quantified.

A person, (Blue Arrow or Exel/DHL), discriminates against another person, Ms Gaynor, in any circumstances relevant for the purposes of Part 11 of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, if he treats Ms Gaynor less favourably than he treats or would treat other persons, and he does so on the ground that Ms Gaynor is undergoing gender re-assignment – section 2A Sex Discrimination Act 1975.

Section 42 (1) provides that “A person (Blue Arrow) who knowingly aids another person (Exel/DHL) to do an act made unlawful by this Act shall be treated for the purpose of this Act as himself doing an unlawful act of the like description.”

Thus, for example, for Blue Arrow to condone the removal of the claimant from the Llantarnum run on the ground of her transition would be aiding and abetting Exel/DHL’s unlawful act.

We also considered the burden of proof as set out in section 63A of the Act. “Where on the hearing of a complaint the complainant proves facts from which the tribunal could, apart from this section, conclude in the absence of an adequate explanation that the respondent- (a) has committed an act of discrimination against the complainant which is unlawful . . . or (b) is by virtue of section 41 or 42 (aiding or abetting) to be treated as having committed such an act of discrimination against the complainant, the tribunal shall uphold the complaint unless the respondent proves that he did not commit or, as the case may be, is not to be treated as having committed that act.”

The Jamaican reggae and dancehall DJ, born Rodney Price, has already had two concerts cancelled in Bradford and Birmingham following protests by the gay human rights group OutRage!

The Met have previously stated that artists would not be allowed to perform unless they sign the Reggae Compassionate Act (RCA), which prohibits the performance of any music that encourages or glorifies any form of violence.

Yet despite his refusal to sign the document, the 36-year old was permitted to go ahead with his performance last week at the Stratford Rex Centre in east London.

PinkNews.co.uk contacted the Met police for a comment, but they have yet to respond.

Peter Tatchell of OutRage! who coordinated the British concert cancellation campaign said:

“The police seem to be letting Bounty Killer off the hook.

“Police claims that they are cracking down on homophobic hate crimes now look like a public relations stunt at the expense of the lesbian and gay community.

“A white racist singer who advocated killing black people would not be allowed to perform anywhere in London, even if he agreed not to incite the killing of black people at his concert.

“Yet when it comes to straight homophobic singers who urge the murder of gay people, the police adopt a softer stance. Why the double standards?”

Price, who was brought up in Kingston, Jamaica, became a household name in Jamaica in the early 90s, and later became known in the USA and Europe after collaborating with the Fugees, Wyclef Jean and No Doubt.

In 2003, he cancelled two of his concerts in the UK, fearing he would be arrested for the homophobic content of his songs.

Price’s lyrics include the lines “You know we need no promo to rub out dem homo” and “Mi ready fi go wipe out this fag”, which encourage the murder of homosexuals.

Gay rights activists have now launched a European campaign to halt his “Deadly Alliance” tour of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and Switzerland, and a performance in Essen, Germany has already been cancelled.

Footage of the concert is now on YouTube.

Members of the Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) group at the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation conference said that the Employment Equality Act permits schools to dismiss homosexual teachers from religious schools.

Section 37 of the Act states that schools that promote certain religious values can take action “to prevent an employee from undermining the religious ethos of the institution.”

The LGB group, which has 35 members and was launched in 2004, is now campaigning for the abolition of this section of the Act.

“Section 37 casts a long shadow that if we are out in school as gay teachers, then the possibility of dismissal might become a reality,” Shelia Crowley, who chairs the group, told the conference, reports The Irish Times.

“We feel that if we live openly as LGB teachers in schools under denominational management, then this could be construed as undermining the religious ethos of an institution.

“Many of our group cannot afford to take this risk and be open in school about our sexuality.”

She added that gay and lesbian teachers faced “isolation, alienation, harassment, discrimination and downright bigotry” on a regular basis and stated that only six out of the 35 members were in a position to be open about their sexuality in school.

“I have been teaching for over 30 years in seven different schools all under denominational management. For 24 of these years I have been living with my partner, a woman.

“However, my life as a lesbian teacher has been covered by a cloak of invisibility to colleagues and pupils. Silence is not neutral and it can – and often does – mask homophobia.”

Ms Crowley gave the conference some examples of homophobia in schools, including a teacher who lost out on a promotion because of her sexual orientation; homophobic comments being made in the presence of LGB teachers and a staff representative removing LBG leaflets from a teachers’ union magazine as he considered it ‘inappropriate.’

Gay issues were raised at the conference of the Association of Secondary Teachers, Ireland’s other main teaching union, yesterday.

It unveiled a new information resource on homophobic bullying, in conjunction with the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network.

More information about the INTO LGB group can be found on the union’s website www.into.ie which also provides an initial contact for those wishing to join.

Rosanna Queirolo, a former model, television news anchor and triathlon athlete, won election on a manifesto of environmental protection and maintaining links with the country’s large expatriate community, most of whom are in the US.

However, since joining the Assembly she has caused controversy by embracing the country’s ultra-conservative Christian Evangelical movement and campaigning against constitutional protection for homosexuals.

In 1998 Ecuador became the first country in the Americas to adopt constitutional language granting protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation.

On 22nd March Querilo stunned legislators, including some members from own party, when she stood up at a public hearing and asked the Constitutional Assembly to consider changing parts of the constitution referring to “sexual orientation”.

She claimed the word “orientation” should be changed to “preference” as in her interpretation, orientation could also be applied to “paedophiles and other degenerates.”

Despite unanimous outrage from the gay community, as well as a barrage of emails criticising her attack on a vulnerable community, Querilo expanded on her comments in the press.

On March 25th, she commented to the El Universo newspaper: “The best thing would be to remove the words ‘sexual orientation’ and to include ‘sexual preference’. The word ‘orientation’ leaves the door open to paedophiles, to bestiality.

“Sexual orientation can include not only homosexual, bisexual and transsexual groups but also paedophile organisations.

“God created us to procreate and the only way to procreate is through the union between a man and a woman. Any human invention cannot fit within a constitution.”

She also added that God should be named in the Constitution as the “ruler of mankind.”

Evangelical groups have rallied in support of Querilo’s comments, announcing that they were on their way to gathering two million signatures demanding that God’s name be included in the constitution, that abortion should be penalised and that same-sex marriages should be banned.

However, members of her own party are disturbed by Queirolo’s views and internal calls have been made for an official condemnation of her statements.

Members of the PAIS party are said to be drafting a statement unequivocally stating that same sex marriage, abortion and the invocation of the name of God are not constitutional matters and will not be considered in the new constitution.

Assembly member Tania Hermidia, also from PAIS told El Universo that the proposals for a change in constitution “reveal a profound ignorance in what concerns human rights”.

Fernando Cordero, Vice President of the Assembly added: “Those who promote this debate seek to tarnish the name of the Assembly, to divide Assembly members and the Ecuadorian people”

Jojo Jako Yakob, 19, claims he will be executed if he is returned.

He has been held at Polmont Young Offenders in Falkirk, Scotland for the last 12 months after being arrested for possessing a fake Belgian passport.

His lawyers say an asylum application for his stay in the UK was mistakenly withdrawn and, as a result, he has been served with a deportation order, pending a final hearing on 7th May.

A group of gay activists and human rights advocates from across Scotland have now created the Save Jojo Campaign with the aim of allowing him to remain in Scotland.

They want him to be granted the full protection under the UK’s duty of care to those facing danger if returned to their home country.

Rob McDowall of Equal Rights Now said:

“Our immigration system is failing to help the people in the most need and doing a merry dance around the needs of people at real risk.

“We have a duty of care to those who choose to come to the UK, we have a duty to assess their need, treat them with respect and dignity and ultimately, ensure we do not remove them to a country where they will be tortured, humiliated or killed.”

Yakob escaped Syria two years ago after suffering severe abuse at the hands of the Syrian police and prison guards, when he was arrested for distributing anti-government leaflets.

After discovering he was homosexual, prison guards beat him so severely that he fell into a coma, although a spokesman for the Syrian Embassy in London denied that torture of gay people took place.

“Homosexuality is illegal in Syria, but there are no special units to deal with this problem,” he told Scotland on Sunday earlier this month.

“People are not prosecuted – society looks at this as a disease for which they can be treated – it is a similar position to that taken by the Vatican.”

Campaigners are encouraging supporters to write to their local MP or to write directly to Home Secretary Jacqui Smith asking for a review of Yakob’s case.

The campaign will also be taking to the streets outside the Scottish Parliament, the Syrian Embassy in London and the court where Yakob’s case will be heard.

His story echoes that of Iranian teenager Mehdi Kazemi, who is having his case for deportation reviewed following the intervention of more than 60 members of the House of Lords asking for the Home Office to “show compassion”.

Mr Kazemi, 19, was studying in the UK and applied for asylum after his boyfriend was arrested and reportedly executed in Tehran.

The boyfriend named Mehdi as a homosexual, and police turned up at his father’s house with a warrant to arrest him.

His asylum application was unsuccessful in the UK, so Mehdi fled to Holland, although he was eventually returned to the UK.

Supporters of the Jojo Yakob campaign are asked to visit the Save Jojo website for more information.

But next month, St Pancras Church Crypt will play host to the ‘Reverie’ exhibition by London artist Charlie Pi, showcasing his interpretation of masculinity and sex.

Known for his paintings of the black male form, the Deptford-based artist will premiere a selection of 50 new oil paintings of black male iconography displayed on unconventional canvases, such as old table tops and bread boards.

A qualified psychoanalytic therapist, Charlie believes his training has enabled him to be more artistically intuitive.

His work draws upon dream interpretation as well as Greek, Pagan and Christian mythology, giving the traditional pin-up images a spiritual edge.

Charlie told PinkNews.co.uk:

“I had started working with live models and saw it as an opportunity to break away from the mythologies I had used to theme earlier shows.

“I have used images from the Promethean myth, the myth of Narcissus and Oedipus as well as pagan myths such as the green-man of the woods.

“Like the Renaissance and Victorian artists, mythology provides a good excuse for nudity.”

St Pancras Church, which is still a thriving parish community, was consecrated in 1822 and was the most expensive church to be built in London since St Paul’s Cathedral.

The church crypt, which served as an air-raid shelter during the two world wars, is an apt location considering the religious undertones of Charlie’s work:

“I have used candles and flowers in previous exhibitions and the baroque nature of my work automatically lends itself to a religious interior.

“The crypt has no ambient lighting and is a maze of corridors and alcoves meaning the individual works are discovered by spotlight.

“In some ways, the works hark back to the ‘saints day’ cards that were handed out to Catholic children and featured male figured in semi-nude draped in loin cloths.

“I suppose that I am bringing an adult sexuality to these remembered childhood images.”

Formally a cult performance artist in the 1970s and 80s, Charlie’s first love is figurative painting, particularly of the black man.

His previous work has featured paintings of athlete Linford Christie and rap artists Tupac Shakur and Ja Rule and he hopes to eventually produce images of actors Wesley Snipes and Samuel L. Jackson.

“Painting the black male is a personal preference,” he told PinkNews.co.uk.

“Generally speaking, the black male has less surface fat and therefore muscle is better defined.

“This definition is further enhanced by the reflection of light from dark skin and the lack of body hair.

“In displaying iconic portrayals of black male sexuality, I hope to create a new mythology of the black man as a powerful creative force.

“I am striving to portray my models as ‘creative individuals’ and hope visitors to the exhibition will be intrigued and amused by the work enough to want to take them home.”

Charlie also hopes that the unconventional canvases he has used to display his painting will create make the images more accessible and create unusual connotations among viewers of his.

“My use of found objects as both content and also in the construction of the works provides a link with contemporary culture.

“Painting a portrait on a breadboard surrounded by one of those ornate brass plates that used to be on every granny’s wall makes them instantly accessible and in recognising the objects we can approach and be intrigued whereas baroque art was about distance and awe.

“I painted a shipwrecked sailor on a section of ship’s decking pulled from the Thames.

“I hope by using such objects to bring their history into the work.

“I hope that these objects will have some totemic meaning to the viewer.”

Reverie opens at St Pancras Church Crypt, Euston Road, London from the 9th-27th April Wednesday-Saturday 12:30-6:30pm, Sunday 12-4pm.

All the works in the exhibition will be on sale at studio prices.

Child 44 counfounds assumptions about gay writers.

His first novel, it caused a fierce bidding war at the London Book Fair and was eventually sold to 22 countries.

It is no surprise that film rights to this powerful piece of fiction have just been snapped up by Ridley Scott.

Set against the bleak backdrop of 1950s Russia, the thriller follows respected secret policeman Leo Demidov and his wife Raisa.

Leo struggles to track down a child-murdering serial killer whilst facing the Soviet system that refuses to believe crime exists unless committed by so-called ‘deviants.’

In the poverty-stricken era of Stalin’s cruel regime, homeless drunks and homosexuals are arrested for non-existent offences while paranoid citizens are pressured into denouncing suspected criminals, including friends and family members.

Since the release of Child 44 in February, Smith has been thrust rather rapidly into the limelight of the literary world.

But while the success of the book has spiralled, its appeal comes as no great shock to the 29-year old.

“I was always passionate about the story and I always believed in it, so I guess a part of me did think it would be successful. Of course, there was another part of me that did wonder how the rest of the world would take it.

“The information I accumulated during the research period was vast, and I did stop and think to myself, ‘am I capable of writing this?’” he told PinkNews.co.uk.

“I wasn’t sure how people would react to the material, whether they would be interested or whether there would just be too much to take in.”

Although he has visited Russia, Smith’s research was based predominantly on textbooks, memoirs and diaries.

He initially comprised a 14-page outline of the complex plot, improvising and altering the plan as the story progressed.

“I wrote as and when I could fit it in.

“I wasn’t being paid and had no idea of how successful the book would be so I was really creating artificial deadlines for myself.

“I was freer in a sense as no one but me would care if I didn’t meet the deadline, although it did motivate me to keep going.

“A lot of the book is based around the frustration at the politics of the time.

“It was a period when individual prejudices were more important than real crimes.

“Being gay myself, reading stories of people getting arrested for being homosexual did resonate with me, although I think all readers regardless of their sexuality will find themselves emotionally affected by the concept.”

Smith loosely based the story on real life ‘Butcher of Rostov’ Andrei Chikatilo, who was convicted of the murders of 52 women and children between 1978 and 1990.

While he wanted to capture the impact of the gruesome deaths, Smith was keen to move away from the clichéd portrayal of a cold serial killer.

“I wanted to make the murderer human; I didn’t want to him to be a typical callous killer.

“It was important for me to get under his skin and see what he was really like as a human being.

“The description of the murders is quite dark, but I didn’t want them to become repetitive.

“The danger when writing about serial killers is that the same thing is happening again and again and I didn’t want the deaths to start becoming too statistical.

“When seeing pictures of Chikatilo’s victims during my research, it struck me how these people all had mothers and fathers and their own lives.

“I wanted the reader to feel the emotional impact of each death in the story.”

The quality of this first time novelist’s work is quite remarkable; particularly considering his writing background is in television scripts.

Raised in Norbury, south London by his antique dealer parents, Smith first started writing plays when he was at school.

After graduating from St Johns, Cambridge, he became an assistant story editor on Channel 5′s now defunct soap Family Affairs and worked briefly on Bad Girls before landing a job with the BBC on Cambodia’s first soap opera.

Although he is currently working on the follow-up to Child 44, Smith says he is keen to write more scripts in the future.

But with the release of Child 44 the movie pencilled in for 2010, he admits he is happy to let someone else take the reins on the adaptation.

“Script writer Richard Price will be adapting the book and I’m excited to see how it will be reinvented.

“I’ve been working on the story for the past two and a half years so it really does need someone else to give it a new burst of life.

“I feel that I’m too close to the characters and the plot to adapt it to its full potential.

“I have become very attached to the characters.

“In my mind, Raisa’s voice was very clear to me.

“She’s very smart, sassy and strong, whereas Leo is simpler, more of an every man sort of character.

“It’ll be interesting to see who plays them on screen.”

For now, Smith is working on the follow-up to Child 44, which picks up where the last story left off.

But with Hollywood beckoning, it’s doubtful he will be returning to write in soapland any time soon.

Child 44 is published by Simon and Schuster, £12.99.

Cristine Gaiennie and Patsy Lovell, who have a 2-year old son from the same anonymous sperm donor, conceived after seven failed attempts at artificial insemination.

Gaiennie, 39, who carried the babies, underwent ovulation induction to stimulate egg production before successfully giving birth to two boys and two girls earlier this month.

Gaiennie told the Orange County Register:

“It was a party in my fallopian tubes. We were just hoping for one, it took us a few weeks to get over the shock.”

Although Gaiennie initially lost a baby at eight weeks gestation, the pregnancy went smoothly and she continued working day shifts at the police department managing the city’s permit staff.

Lovell, 49, who was unable to carry any children, worked night shifts as a dispatch supervisor, in order to keep son Jordan out of childcare.

At 28 weeks, Gaiennie was admitted to St Joseph Hospital in Orange County where she took oral medication to prevent contractions until she reached 35 weeks when her doctor scheduled a caesarean.

On March 3rd Braydan James was born, followed by sister Avery Renee, Landan Paul and finally Addison Jo.

The quads are currently being cared for at Children’s Hospital of Orange County where they will remain in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit while they put on weight and master feeding.

Early on in their relationship the couple agreed they wanted to have children and were keen for son Jordan to have a full sibling.

While they were initially worried about the possibility of their children being teased at school, they were determined not to let their fear of criticism or discrimination factor into their decision to have another baby.

Lovell said: “We figured the benefits outweighed the risks and we just went for it.

“We’re just two people who love each other and wanted to have a family.”

The couple, who live in a 4-bedroom house in Placentia and have been together for five years, have received support from family, friends and their police department colleagues.

Neither parent intends to quit her job, choosing instead to stagger their maternity leave and continue working opposite shifts.

Gaiennie added: “We’re definitely done having kids. We got more than we bargained for. We hit the baby lottery.”

The council, comprised of Transgender Europe (TGEU), the Transgender Network Berlin (TGNB) and TransInterQueer Berlin (TrIQ) will be meeting in Berlinfrom 2nd to 4th May, following their last successful event held in Vienna in 2005.

The programme will feature representatives from international activists and experts such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, who will share their experiences in the field of human rights and transgender related work.

As well as work shops and training sessions, the results of the Study of the Lives of Transgender people In Europe conducted by Press for Change (UK) will be revealed, in which more than 2,000 transgender people participated.

There will also be opportunities to discuss and formulate the future goals of Transgender Europe, including work on TGEU Policy and Vision Papers and a petition to the European Parliament.

Berlin has a diverse transgender scene and the city council’s official show and party will be organised by Wigstoeckel- Transgender United.

As part of the General Assembly of Transgender Europe, to be held at the meeting, there will be voting for the Board of Directors and the Steering Committee, with potential candidates being asked to apply via email before the 2nd May.

For more information click here.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smith announced yesterday that in the light of “new circumstances” gay Iranian Mehdi Kazemi should have his case reconsidered upon his return from the Netherlands, where he fled when his first application was denied.

The 19-year old, who has lived in Britain since 2005, was facing deportation and possible execution in Iran, where homosexuality is illegal.

Although the decision has been met with support, gay activists have warned that there are many similar cases which are being overlooked by the government.

Omar Kuddus, a gay rights activist who campaigned for Kazemi’s case, told PinkNews.co.uk:

“The British government has for once done the right thing and given this young man a chance and hope for his future.

“There is no question of the fate awaiting Madhi if he is deported back to Iran – execution, just for being gay.

“Homosexuality is not accepted and the state kills and punishes those guilty of being gay.

“To say that homosexuals are safe as long as they are discreet and live their lives in private, is to say that Anne Frank was safe from the Nazis in World War Two as long as she hid in her attic, there is no difference.

“Homosexuality shall never be acceptable in Iran as long as the Ayatollahs and Sharia law is in place.

“I am grateful that Mehdi can now make his case and establish the true dangers awaiting him in Iran.”

The Home Office said last week that even though homosexuality is illegal in Iran and homosexuals do experience discrimination, it does not believe that homosexuals are routinely persecuted purely on the basis of their sexuality.

Peter Tatchell, a human rights campaigner and member of gay rights group OutRage! believes that there are dozens of other gay asylum seekers whose cases the government are refusing to review.

Mr Tatchell said:

“The review of this case is welcome, but there are still many more which need to be reconsidered, including Pegah Emambakhsh and many other individuals who are fleeing violently homophobic countries such as Uganda, Nigeria, Iraq, Zimbabwe and Palestine.

“The underlying problem is the government’s whole asylum system and the way it is rigged to fail as many applicants as possible, combined with the homophobic biases of the asylum process.

“Asylum staff and adjudicators are given no training on sexual orientation and there is no explicit official policy supporting the right of refugees to claim asylum on the grounds of sexual orientation.”

The growing public outcry over the issue prompted a response from the European Parliament and 60 MEPs signed a petition asking Gordon Brown to reverse the decision on Kazemi.

Liberal Democrat European justice spokeswoman Baroness Sarah Ludford MEP welcomed the change of heart by Jacqui Smith, but believes the decision should have been made sooner.

Baroness Ludford said: “This is a welcome move, even if it should have come voluntarily and without the need for so much pressure.

“We must not forget other gay Iranians fearing not only their liberty but their lives, such as Pegah Emambakhsh. They deserve justice too.”

Ms Ludford has written to the Home Secretary requesting a review of Pegah Emambakhsh, an Iranian lesbian who faces deportation after losing the latest round in her battle to be granted asylum.

Ms Emambakhsh, 40, who fled to Britain in 2005 after her girlfriend was sentenced to the death penalty, narrowly avoided deportation in August last year when her local MP Richard Caborn persuaded the government to allow her to stay while further avenues of appeal were explored.

Last month, however, the Court of Appeal turned down her application for permission for a full hearing and she now plans to apply for a judicial review at the High Court.

After extensive consultation with organisations over a period of 18 months, the CPS has devised a public policy and guidance statement that covers the Code for Crown Prosecutors and how it should be implemented in all cases.

The guide also outlines offences the CPS will consider in relation to cases of the intentional or reckless sexual transmission of infection, what needs to be proven in order for charges to be brought as well as witness and victim care issues.

Director of Public Prosecutions, Sir Ken Macdonald QC, said:

“Although these types of cases are rare, we are publishing this statement because we recognise the importance of consistent decision-making.

“We have consulted clinicians, charities and community groups on the development of this policy and guidance.

“We have benefited substantially from listening to their views and concerns, and we have greatly appreciated their input.”

The publication of the guidelines has been met with support from charity groups.

While stating they maintain their opposition to prosecutions for the reckless transmission of HIV, the National AIDS Trust welcomes the clarifications the CPS has made.

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of the National AIDS Trust said:

“Criminalising HIV transmission increases stigma and discrimination of people living with HIV and can deter testing.

“However this new guidance from the CPS is helpful in clarifying the prosecution process.

“Whilst prosecutions continue the National AIDS Trust will work to ensure the best possible advice is available to prosecutors, lawyers, police, support organisations, healthcare workers and people living with HIV.”

Lisa Power, Head of Policy at Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) added:

“The new CPS guidance will go a long way towards removing confusion, cutting the most inappropriate investigations short and clarifying where people with HIV and other STIs stand if they transmit them.

“THT accepts prosecutions for intentional transmission, but we remain opposed to prosecuting reckless transmission and believe that it harms rather than helps public health goals.

“However, if prosecutions do take place, it is important that the are regulated and consistent in their conduct and that anyone with an STI knows clearly what the law is.”

The CPS is the government department responsible for prosecuting criminal cases investigated by the police in England and Wales.

To date there have been ten convictions in England and Wales under Section 20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 (OAPA), all based on the reckless transmission of HIV.

Thirteen cases in total have so far gone to Crown Court in England and Wales, although many more have been pursued and abandoned.

Victorian Nationals leader Peter Ryan was one of the first MPs to express his views on the new register, telling parliament it would inevitably lead to legislating gay marriage.

Under the proposed new law, gay couples in Victoria would be able to register their relationship for easier access to entitlements, although the bill would not facilitate gay marriage or civil unions.

Government MPs are expected to support the legislation, while the coalition has been given a conscience vote.

Mr. Ryan told parliament yesterday:

“What this bill does is to establish a structure which is a step toward equalising the notion of a same sex relationship, in particular, with that of marriage.

“I must say I think that anybody who does not see this legislation in that context is being naive and is kidding themselves.”

Introducing the Bill last year, Attorney-General Rob Hulls said it would overcome discrimination and would assist in emergency medical situations by allowing a same sex partner to discuss treatment with doctors.

Mr. Hulls told parliament on December 6: “What this bill does is to enable couples who want the dignity of formal recognition of their loving relationship to register it, to receive a certificate, and to have the security of knowing that their decision to commit to a shared life with each other is respected in Victoria.”

The bill has been met with mixed reactions and while many MPs are supporting the proposal, the register has faced particular opposition from the church.

Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart, with the support of several senior members of the clergy from around Victoria, has written to MPs expressing his opposition to the register.

According to the Herald Sun, Archbishop Hart said in a statement yesterday: “This Bill can only bring harm to the fabric and well being of our community.

“The institution of marriage and family is the key and inimitable institution on which our community is based, and which nurtures our children and brings them to physical and moral maturity.”

However, government MP for Oakleigh Ann Barker expressed support for the proposal.

Ms Barker told parliament: “This is a good bill, it continues our commitment as a government to promote human rights, to provide equality and respect for persons in committed, unmarried relationships and, importantly, it provides them with equality and legal standing in medical, legal and property matters.

“Personally I have many friends in committed relationships. Some of my friends have been in those supportive, caring and loving relationships for more than 20 years … it is absolutely fair that these couples should have the ability to register their relationships to both recognise their commitment to one another and to have legal and medical equality.”

Under the commonwealth’s proposal, a relationship will cost $180 (£73) to register and $59 to revoke.