Tony Grew edited PinkNews.co.uk between 2007 and 2009. He now edits ePolitix.com
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1 September 2006NSPCC attacked for helping gay kids 2 PinkNews.co.uk Exclusive A charity claiming to protect the interests of children has launched a bizarre attack on Childline and the NSPCC.Despite advertising Childline on their website, the National Society for Children and Family Contact claim the well-respected charity is abandoning the religious views of its founders. -
1 September 2006Woman dies in fire at gay sauna + West Yorkshire police are appealing for witnesses to come forward after a woman died in a 'suspicious' fire in Leeds.The Spartan Mantalk Sauna, which formed part of an end-terrace house in the Harehills area of the city, was gutted in the blaze.A woman was rescued by fire crews at around 4am this morning, but she did not survive. -
31 August 2006Homophobia a myth, says Polish PM 4 The prime minister of Poland has claimed his country is being misrepresented by the press, and hit out at the Western media.Speaking to reporters after a meeting in Brussels with EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Jaroslaw Kaczynski said: "Please do not believe in the myth of anti-Semitic, homophobic and xenophobic Poland this is a media thing - it is not real." -
31 August 2006Taiwan to host first-ever gay flag ceremony + On the morning of the 17th September, a rainbow flag will be raised above the City Hall in Taipei, Taiwan.It will be the first such ceremony in Asia, and a powerful symbol of the embryonic gay rights movements across the continent.The flag ceremony will signal the start of the seventh "LGBT Civil Rights Movement - Queer-friendly Taipei" festival to be held in the city. -
31 August 2006Paddick denies Commissioner ambition 7 The most senior gay police officer in the UK has denied he wants to succeed Sir Ian Blair as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. PinkNews.co.uk reported earlier this month on comments Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick allegedly made at a recruitment event for gay and lesbian teenagers.At the sparsely-attended event Mr Paddick made a speech, in which he discussed his future in the police force. -
31 August 2006Pledges rush to become members of gay fraternity 2 Joining a fraternity is a key part of the college experience for many Americans.Brothers pick the best and brightest to join, and the pledges then go through a process of selection to become a member of the exclusive club.For many gay and bisexual men, the term 'frat boy' conjures up images of a homophobic jock, a sports-obsessed alpha-male whose priorities are beer, girls and parties, with some casual fag-bashing thrown in. -
31 August 2006COMMENT: Gay adults must challenge homophobic teachers 5 A report from the NSPCC this week revealed a rise in the number of LGBT teens calling Childline to ask for help with homophobic bullying.The details of the report make for grim reading, most shocking of all being the hostile attitude of teachers.Tony Grew examines the report and what gay adults can do to help. -
30 August 2006Schwarzenegger sent two gay rights bills 3 Two contentious pieces of legislation promoting LGBT equality have been passed by the California State Legislature.A bill to allow same-sex couples to submit joint tax returns is a modest attempt to extend partnership benefits to gays and lesbians.The second bill has proved deeply controversial, with angry and at times homophobic exchanges in the Legislature. -
30 August 2006Gay bashing Polish PM in talks with EU 2 Jaroslaw Kaczynski will make his first official visit outside Poland today since becoming Prime Minister.He will meet EU Commission President Jose Barossa and other top officials in Brussels, as his foreign minister admitted that Poland has an image problem.EU relations with Poland have been strained since Kaczynski and his twin brother Lech, who is President of Poland, took office. -
29 August 2006Man City FC sign up to Stonewall diversity scheme 3 Manchester City have become the first professional football club to join the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme.A spokesman for Stonewall, the leading gay rights organisation, praised the club for being the first to "put their head above the parapet," and hinted that other clubs may soon follow Man City's lead.Over 200 companies and organisations have now signed up for the scheme, which promotes good employment practice. -
29 August 2006Rise in gay teenagers calling Childline + The NSPCC has reported a rise in the number of LGBT teenagers calling their helpline to ask for help with homophobic bullying.There was a 21% rise in calls to Childline about all types of bullying in the year up to March 2006.About a quarter of all calls to the helpline are about bullying.
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29 August 2006Matthew Parris: married on a Thursday 2 The Times has revealed its star political columnist Matthew Parris has entered into a civil partnership with his long-time boyfriend.Parris, a former Conservative MP, 'tied the knot' in a ceremony in Bakewell, Derbyshire.His partner is Guardian journalist Julian Glover. They have been a couple for 11 years. -
29 August 2006Nationwide search for gay man who infected partner 57 Police have asked for help in tracing a gay man who was convicted earlier this month of recklessly infecting his lover with HIV.Mark James absconded before he was sentenced, and is currently on the run.Acting Detective Inspector Mike Sunman, of Hounslow Police, described James as a danger to public health, and appealed for help in tracing him. -
25 August 2006COMMENT: Not all representation is positive 7 Should we be happy that the rather shallow humour of Little Britain is being exported to America?Or that more and more companies are commissioning 'gay' adverts to appeal to homo-consumers?Representation is always a slippery issue. Tony Grew muses on whether more adverts and more gay jokes are a good thing. -
25 August 2006Homophobic bully named and shamed by local paper 2 A local paper has won the right to name a homophobic bully who assaulted a gay 15-year-old boy. The South Shields Gazette appealed to magistrates at South Tyneside Youth Court to lift the automatic anonymity the law grants to offenders under 18, in order to publicise the hate crime.16-year-old Darren Murphy, of Kirkstone Avenue, Jarrow, led a gang of six teenagers who set upon the 15-year-old as he walked along the A19 in Jarrow on May 9th. -
24 August 2006Colorado gay marriage divides opinion + In the red corner, the Mesa State College Young Republicans, who this week staged a mock wedding between a man and a fish.They wanted to highlight their opposition to gay partnership proposals, which will be the subject of a state-wide referendum in November.The stunt is just one of many examples of how the sleepy Rockies state of Colorado is gripped by the new concept of gay marriage. -
24 August 2006Gay pride festival can’t find politician to take part + Gay pride in Galway is Ireland's oldest LGBT event, yet organisers have not been able to find a single politician to open the festivities.The city's Green party mayor was due to kick off proceedings tonight, but he was called away on other business.Organiser Darren Whelan was sceptical about their fruitless search for a replacement. -
24 August 2006More gay problems for California’s lawmakers 1 It was a shame that Governor Terminator was not present to keep the peace, as California lawmakers once again descended into tantrums over gay issues.A bill to allow registered domestic partners to file joint tax returns seems to have been a little too much for some Republican Assembly members yesterday.
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24 August 2006Original Stonewall Inn to close 3 It is where the modern gay rights movement was born. Tired of years of police harassment, the denizens of Manhattan's run-down Stonewall Inn finally stood up for their rights and rioted.The events of those sultry June nights in 1969 ignited a power-keg, and the explosion was heard around the world.Within 12 months there were gay rights movements organising and protesting across the Western world. -
24 August 2006In my Liverpool homo + Life for gay men in austere 1950's Britain was grim. Homosexual relationships were illegal and the country had a buttoned-up moral and social atmosphere.One way to escape was to join the merchant navy, where gay flamboyance was tolerated, even welcomed.Now the Merseyside Maritime Museum is hosting an exhibition, entitled Hello Sailor! documenting these hidden gay lives.
