Tony Grew edited PinkNews.co.uk between 2007 and 2009. He now edits ePolitix.com
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18 January 2007Controversial gay ex-MP demands pension + The Australian former Liberal party MP Andrew Olexander is in the limelight once again.He is applying for an exemption to allow him to access a pension paid for by the taxpayer.Mr Olexander was a controversial figure in the Liberal party, roughly equivalent to the Conservatives in the UK. -
18 January 2007Brighton Pride mourn their “true champion” 9 The organisers of Brighton Pride have spoken of their sadness at the news that Paul Wilde has died aged 51.As reported by PinkNews.co.uk, Mr Wilde died in his sleep and yesterday was found in his flat above his venue South Central, in Vauxhall, London.He was the mastermind behind the most successful Pride events in the country. -
18 January 2007Education Secretary stands up for gay song 1 Alan Johnson, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, has told BBC Radio 4 listeners that he would be happy if the song (Sing If You're) Glad To Be Gay is included in a book for schoolchildren.The Daily Express reports that the comments have "sparked a major row." -
18 January 2007Red carpet row escalates 4 The ongoing feud over what was or was not said in the heat of an on-set argument between the stars of hit US drama Grey's Anatomy shows no sign of dying down.GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, are demanding that actor Isaiah Washington apologise for using the word 'faggot' when he denied calling co-star TR Knight a faggot on set. -
18 January 2007Crystal meth users now face seven years in jail + People who take and deal in methamphetamine, commonly known as crystal meth, face the severest penalties possible from today when it is reclassified from a Class B to a Class A substance.The Home Office decided to reclassify last year, after an explosion in the use of the drug amongst gay men who attend nightclubs. -
17 January 2007Pride guru Paul Wilde dies 9 London club owner Paul Wilde, the mastermind behind the most successful Pride events in the country, has died aged 51.Paul died in his sleep and was found this morning in his flat above his venue South Central, in Vauxhall, London.Paul ran Wilde Ones Event Services, which has been the production backbone of Brighton Pride for the last 7 years.
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17 January 2007Moscow Gay Pride row moves to Euro court 1 The ongoing dispute between gay activists in Russia and the Moscow city authorities will now move to the European Court of Human Rights.As reported on PinkNews.co.uk, in May 2006 the city's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, refused to issue a permit for the Pride march.Gay activists pressed on with Moscow Pride on 27th May, despite the ban, police arrests, and violence from neo-fascists. -
17 January 2007Top Manhattan firm in gay lawsuit + One of New York's most prestigious law firms is being sued for discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation by one of their own lawyers.28-year-old associate Aaron B Charney says in his suit that senior colleagues subjected him to "lewd and illegal conduct," The New York Times reports.Sullivan Cromwell, founded in 1879, is one of America's best known - and profitable - law firms. -
17 January 2007Football stars talk about being gay – anonymously 3 Two stars of the German football league have given in-depth interviews to a magazine about life as a gay man in the top flight of soccer - on condition that their identities were kept secret.RUND magazine spent two years gaining the trust of the players and researching homophobia in the beautiful game.Just like the UK, there are no out gay professional footballers in the German leagues. -
17 January 2007Gay-friendly Obama to run for President 2 Senator Barack Obama took the first step on the road to the White House yesterday.The 45-year-old junior Senator from Illinois announced that he is forming an exploratory committee, which allows him to raise funds and put together a campaign.Obama is the only African-American in the Senate, and his candidacy is already being compared to that of President John F Kennedy. -
16 January 2007Ex-archbishop steps into Exeter student row 4 George Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, has involved himself in the ongoing dispute between student groups at Exeter University.As previously reported on PinkNews.co.uk, a group of Christian students at Exeter University are going to court to try to set a legal precedent about acceptance of gay rights. -
16 January 2007Gay judge hearing Tube bomb trial 1 The first openly gay man to be appointed a High Court judge is presiding over the trial of six men accused of conspiracy to murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.The charges relate to an attempt to bomb the London underground system on July 21st 2005, two weeks after the devastating attacks of July 7th.Muktar Ibrahim, Manfo Asiedu, Hussein Osman, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Adel Yahya all deny the charges. -
16 January 2007Czech gay man wins landmark discrimination case + In yet another sign of positive change in the new EU states, a gay man has won damages after being denied a job as a masseur because of his sexuality.Lech Sydor, a 43-year-old Czech citizen, was awarded 70,000 koruna (£1,660) and received an apology for his treatment, AFP reports.The landmark ruling is the first time that a Czech court has ruled on an issue of work discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
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16 January 2007Suppressed gay play comes to London 1 He is regarded as one of the greatest American dramatists of the 20th century.From A Streetcar Named Desire to Sweet Bird of Youth Tennessee Williams brought alive a Southern, decadent and decaying world, dripping with homosexual subtext and tragic female characters.Now a play that Williams would not have performed in his own lifetime is to come to the UK this March, The Independent reports. -
16 January 2007Men and women involved in homophobic attack + Two brothers were set upon by a gang of men and women, punched, kicked and knocked to the ground in a homophobic attack in County Durham.The attack happened in the village of Spennymoor in the early house of Monday morning.The brothers, aged 26 and 21, were on their way home from a nightclub when they passed the Victoria Inn, the BBC reports. -
16 January 2007Sir Ian to launch LGBT History Month 3 Actor and activist Sir Ian McKellen will be the featured speaker at the launch of LGBT History Month next month.The launch will form part of the annual Schools Out conference, on Saturday 3rd February at the Drill Hall theatre in London.Schools Out is one of the oldest gay campaigning groups in the UK. -
15 January 2007ENDA on the agenda as Congress returns to work + As US legislators return to work in Washington today, gay rights activists are hopeful that hate crimes and workplace protection legislation will move forward in the coming session.The Democrats are in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.While politics watchers are immersed in the Presidential campaigns, all of the House and a third of the Senate are also up for re-election in November. -
15 January 2007Gay unions in South Africa delayed by bureaucracy 57 Lesbian and gay couples in South Africa hoping to get married in church are facing delays because of a backlog of people waiting to take a qualification exam.Government "registrars," called marriage officers, were all trained about the Civil Unions Act last year, before the Act became law. -
15 January 2007Model’s tell-all book reveals Madonna and Jolie lesbian affairs 2 Lesbian pin up Jenny Shimizu has revealed that she was having sexual relationships with popstar Madonna and actress Angelina Jolie at the same time.Shimizu is best known as one of the faces of CK One. She was voted sexiest woman in a 2005 poll for The Pink Paper. Angelina Jolie has spoken publicly about their relationship, and is open about her bisexuality. -
15 January 2007Scottish government backs hate crimes bill 74 Ministers, MSPs, police chiefs, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and gay rights activists have welcomed the announcement that the government in Scotland will support an extension of the country's hate crimes legislation to protect LGBT people and the disabled.The Sentencing of Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill was proposed by Patrick Harvie, a Scottish Green MSP.It will bring Scotland into line with England and Wales.
