Last week the Islamic Council of Norway’s met with SV’s homo-network, where they spoke of homosexual Muslims in Norway.

This is the first time the Islamic Council met with homosexual representatives to debate on this issue.

“They live in Norway, a democratic country, and they are free to come out,” said Senaid Kobilica of the Islamic council.

He stressed that nobody should live in fear and points to violent incidents where homosexuals were beaten due to the sexual inclination.

“Most of all they need somebody to speak with.

“Imams must therefore be open to listen to homosexual Muslims.”

“We recommend that everybody respect homosexuals and lesbians”, said Mr Kobilica.

However, the head of the Islamic Council, thinks it’s incompatible to be a homosexual and a believing Muslim.

“The imams should listen to homosexuals and to their concerns. But naturally we will also inform them about Islamic thought and how it relates to homosexuality,” he said.

In August the Children and Equality Minister, Anniken Huitfeldt, criticised the Islamic Council for not rejecting the death sentence against homosexuals.

“We stress that the Islamic Council of Norway rejects the death sentence for homosexuals in Norway, but we don’t want to go into legislation in other countries,” said Mr Kobilica.

The Islamic Council is an umbrella organisation for the Islamic faith societies that represents 70,00 Norwegian Muslims.

The competition returns to Brighton Marina on the 6th and 7th September and is sponsored by Barclays Bank and the Sailing and Cruising Association (S&CA), the home of gay sailing in the UK.

This is the third time the UK is hosting the regatta and it is expected to attract around 60 competitors split in two fleets.

In the Spinnaker Class there are 6 Sigma 8 yachts which are designed as a performance keelboat.

They provide the excitement of dinghy without the risks and acrobatics.

In the Non-Spinnaker Class there are 4 Laser Stratos dinghies.

They are self-draining and have a lifting keel.

In addition, the S&CA will be organising a social event for other LGBT sailors alongside the regatta.

The racing will take place on Saturday & Sunday with the intention of having 4 to 6 races in total on windward/leeward, triangular courses or an Olympic-style courses.

Last year, British team BRM won the Spinnaker Class event.

The annual EuroGay Cup was started in 2001 and has previously been held in Vinkeveen, Paris, Berlin and Cowes.

Competitors have entered from the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany the USA and Australia.

Sailing is a growing sport in the gay community and was included in the Gay Games in Sydney 2002 and Chicago 2006.

The EuroGay Cup is one of a trio of annual gay sailing regattas held in Europe, the USA and Australia endorsed by the international gay sailing organisation, GLORY.

An “eclectic and exciting” schedule has been planned that will include a Queer Cabaret night, a launch of a gay-friendly cycling club, screenings of classic LGBT themed films and a Big Gay Fete.

A discussion on religion and sexuality will take place with Leicester Gay Catholics.

Celebrate 2008 will take place in and around Leicester from Monday 29th September to Sunday 5th October.

It will be followed by a public meeting on Monday 6th October to discuss the future of Leicester Pride, with a view to reviving the city’s annual LGBT festival.

The festival is organised by Leicester Lesbian Gay and Bisexual Centre, which is a voluntary organisation established to support LGBT people in the local area.

Their aim is to provide safe, accessible and appropriate services, venue and support to combat social isolation, exclusion and discrimination that LGB people face.

The last Leicester Pride took place on Saturday 24th June 2006.

More than 10,000 people attended the event.

Leicester Pride 2007 was cancelled due to shortage of funds and support.

Click here for more information about Celebrate 2008.

The International Gay and Lesbian Football Association championship has seen 40 male and female teams from every continent, competing in three different leagues; the Men’s First and Second Divison and the Women’s Division.

Tournament favourites for the Men’s First Division are SAFGay Argentina, Stonewall FC, Florida Storm and Samurai Japan.

Stonewall will play the Argentinians in tomorrow’s final at Leyton Orient’s Matchroom stadium tomorrow.

In the Women’s Division, Gay Games silver medallists Hackney WFC are strong contenders but a Chosen FEW, a team from Soweto, South Africa, who are taking part via the Outreach scholarship programme, have brought two strong squads to London.

From the off, footballers, fans and organisers have had plenty to cheer about.

The first two days saw floods of goals and some excellent results for the two English clubs competing in the top flight.

The London Falcons ended day one sharing the top spot with SAFGay Argentina, after both teams had won all their matches.

Peter Tatchell’s favourites, Stonewall Lions, performed strongly on both days, thrashing Stockholm Snipers 7-0 and then beating the favoured Argentine side 2-0.

Across the pitch, the women’s favourites Hackney WFC started the stronger in their game against Bent… Like Beckham winning 3-0.

Bent… Like Beckham did come back into their own after winning against Alexandra Park 2-0.

The weather conditions on the third day of the tournament were almost perfect.

Even the Mexican team agreed.

All day it had been overcast and cool.

As the important 3:00pm clashes began, a little sunlight crept out from behind the clouds.

The atmosphere in Regents Park was teeming with excitement.

Stonewall and the Falcons bagged some great results early on in the day, which clinched them both a place in the semi-finals.

Later on, the two teams clashed, but because both were through, the result would be irrelevant.

However, Stonewall continued their run of patient, probing football which saw them score three beautifully developed goals.

The Falcons were on the backfoot throughout as Stonewall passed the ball about freely.

After the match, Pinknews.co.uk spoke to Stonewall FC co-founder Roger Taylor:

“It’s great to see gay people can take part in sport at a reasonable level.

“But we hope to win the championship because we lost in the final in Argentina last year,” he said.

After losing to Stonewall in the morning, Samurai needed a result against Toronto Titans who, results wise, were on a level playing field.

Both defended strongly, however, in the last five minutes Samurai number 10, Toki, scored a long-range lob which sent Samurai fans into a frenzy.

On the sideline, Pinknews.co.uk spoke to his ecstatic teammate, Jim Capitanos:

“Samurai are the nicest bunch of guys I’ve ever played with.

“I am from England and there are no problems with the language barrier,” he said

“This championship means a lot to the club.

“These guys only get together for these kinds of tournaments and the players are spread out all over Japan,” he added.

The biggest surprise of the day came when one of the competition favourites, Florida Storm were knocked out by Argentina.

The game was hard fought match and came down to the wire, however, the South Americans won 4-3..

“Argentine teams always look for a win.

“We always enjoy playing soccer, but we always look for a win,” SAFGay Argentina defender Remi Sarilla told Pinknews.co.uk.

In the women’s league, the South African team Chosen Few 2 had to pull out of the competition due to injury.

The four remaining teams had an energised day of football.

Competition favourites Hackney lost out to Chosen Few 2-1.

Bent…Like Beckham pulled one win out of the hat, beating Alexandra 2-0.

Despite the competitive nature of the tournament, a friendly spirit lightened the proceedings.

Pinknews.co.uk spoke to Social and Cultural events manager, Joe Brady, who was proud of Leftfooters FC, the club who organised the championship.

“This is the biggest gay sporting event in the country.

“What we are most proud about is giving three teams the opportunity to play by the funds we made through Outreach!,” he said.

“Those teams were TRIGay Mexico, Friends from Prague and Chosen Few from South Africa.”

The Leftfooters who fielded three teams enjoyed a less than successful start, suffering defeats in all their opening games.

The sport will continue until the finals tomorrow at Leyton Orient Football Club.

Click here for more information.

The event was a 78-hour extravaganza of music, film, heritage and culture.

It consisted of a parade, a HIV vigil and a Gay Village packed full of venues that offered a score of non-stop entertainment.

The furore is centred around the price of the Gay Village tickets, which cost £20.

Protesters from Queer Youth Network claim that their free speech was undermined by the festival director, Jackie Crozier.

They claim she tried to seize a placard which read “Pride not Profit.”

David Henry of the UK’s national LGBT youth organisation accused organisers of an “ongoing attempt to silence public criticism” of the event.

“They are acting like crazed control freaks, the city council don’t want us to raise awareness around several major concerns they would rather ignore, collectively this year’s sponsors pretty much own all the gay media and local media,” he added.

Several pride participants unveiled more banners which read ‘Too poor to be gay’ and ‘Save the gay centre.’

However, Ms Crozier told PinkNews.co.uk:

“Manchester Pride is responsible for ensuring the content of the parade is in keeping with its position as a peaceful and celebratory march and this year was no different.

“No entrants were asked to withdraw any aspect of their promotional material and the parade was, as always, an understanding platform for all of us to raise awareness and promote equality for the LGBT community,” she added.

Queer Youth Network claims that Manchester Pride is becoming an exclusively commercial event.

“Pride is losing touch with what it was originally meant to be,” said Jack Holroyde, the group’s campaigns director.

“The event is meant to be a celebration of our sexuality.

“A ticket charge means that young people and other underrepresented groups can’t get into Pride,” he said.

“It seems to be very one-sided and rarely do we see trans, BME (black and multi-ethnic) or young people there,” he added.

The youth group are pushing the local council for a bursary that would allow under-represented groups a chance to attend the Gay Village festivities.

In 2007 Manchester Pride raised £95,000 for LGF Free Condoms and Lube Scheme, GHT HIV Welfare Fund, Manchester Pride Community Fund and Manchester Pride HIV/AIDS fund.

Manchester Pride is one of the longest running in the country and attracts thousands of visitors to the city’s Gay Village each year.

Number One Plus is a water-based lubricant produced by health organisation Population Services International (PSI).

It is distributed, along with condoms, among gay men and sex workers in the capital Phnom Penh as part of an AIDS prevention programme.

It is also an excellent cure for spots, 29-year-old vendor Tep Kemyoeurn told AFP.

“After I used it for three days, all of my acne dried up and went away,” she said.

“Many people believe in it,” she added.

Another woman told Khmer-language Kampuchea Thmey newspaper that she had used many kinds of medicine to treat acne but none had worked.

“After that my friends, who work at garment factories in Phnom Penh, advised me to apply the lubricant from Number One Plus condoms on my face every night,” she told the paper.

“And just within three to four nights, the acne on my face gradually and then totally disappeared,” she added.

A vendor near a factory in the coastal city of Sihanoukville told the newspaper that she sold packets of Number One Plus lubricant for 500 riels (6 pence) to women every day.

PSI is a US-based non-profit health organisation that works with low-income and vulnerable populations in more than 60 developing countries.

Its programme in Cambodia focuses on HIV/AIDS, malaria, reproductive health and child survival. It is partly funded by the British government through the Department for International Development.

Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights is a night time vigil organised by Soul Force and Atticus Circle, two not-for-profit organisations.

The vigils are led by families, individuals, or groups, and focus on their personal decision to speak out on behalf of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) equality.

Depending on the city, Action Leaders will either offer thanks for their state’s positive policy record or issue a call to action on issues such as hate crimes, employment discrimination, and marriage equality.

“Last year, stories of friendship and political transformation emerged across the country during the vigil, a first-of-its-kind event,” the organisers said.

“Through Seven Straight Nights, the power of straight ally voices resonated in 38 cities in 28 different states across the country.”

According to a recent Newsweek poll, 57% of adults believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry or form civil unions, up 10% since 2004.

A July 2008 Washington Post poll found that 75% of Americans now support allowing gay and lesbian soldiers to serve openly in the US military.

“We can feel the momentum of change, yet we know that much more must be done to protect our LGBT friends,” says Jodie Eldridge, Executive Director of Atticus Circle and a straight ally.

“Ironically, this year’s divisive ballot measures provide ample opportunity for straight and LGBT Americans to find common cause,” she added.

The measures on state ballots this November include Florida’s Proposition 2, which would inadvertently affect the state’s straight seniors, many of whom form domestic partnerships rather than remarry after they are widowed in order to keep essential benefits.

Proposition 2 “protects marriage as the legal union of only one man and one woman as husband and wife and provides that no other legal union that is treated as marriage or the substantial equivalent thereof shall be valid or recognised.”

In Arkansas, a proposed ballot measure would ban all unmarried couples, gay and straight, from fostering and adopting children.

Atticus Circle is a national organisation that “educates and mobilises fair-minded straight people to advance equal rights for LGBT partners, parents, and their children.”

The vigils will take place from 14th to 20th September.

Religious leaders are also part of Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights 2008.

Churches in cities across America will host events.

Among the clergy speaking out is Jay Bakker, pastor of Revolution NYC Church and star of the documentary series One Punk Under God.

“As Christians, if we follow the example of Christ in loving our neighbour as ourselves, then we have to realise that everyone is our neighbour, everyone deserves to be treated with love and respect and grace,” says Bakker.

Jay Bakker is the son of Jim Bakker and Tammy Faye Messner. His non-traditional approach to ministry achieved national attention in the Sundance Channel series One Punk Under God, which documented his journey to become a gay-affirming Christian.

They say the crackdown on hate crimes is little more than a publicity stunt.

The new law comes in response to complaints from gays who say they are sick of being the targets of homophobic slurs outside nightclubs.

The move will focus on the city’s main gay precinct Oxford Street, the site of the world’s biggest gay and lesbian Mardi Gras.

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the move recognised the “essential gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender character of Oxford St” and was a response to many complaints about homophobia.

The Australian newspaper called the ordinance “a cheap public-relations stunt that may lead to more attacks on gays and lesbians.”

Openly gay city council member Shayne Mallard opposed the scheme, which passed by a 4–3 vote, saying that without increased police and security support, the “homophobia-free zones” will offer the LGBT community little protection and might even provoke increased violence.

“The young men who come in from outer suburbs to drink alcohol and assault gay people are not going to be deterred by a sticker in a window,” Mallard told The Australian.

“Because they already have homophobic and violent tendencies, it’s more likely to be a provocation.

“Lots of people in the gay and lesbian community fear it will provoke more violence … we’ve had enough of these PR stunts,” he added.

Sydney city councillor Phillip Black, who proposed the plan, said the idea was similar to alcohol-free or nuclear-free zones that already exist in the city.

“At this point, the ball is with council staff to develop a proposal that will come back to council over the next few months, but it could involve stickers, badges, posters and T-shirts similar to the Safe Place pink triangle campaign,” Black said.

“We have to create awareness that homophobia is not acceptable.”

The measure would prohibit unmarried couples living together from fostering or adopting children.

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels certified the proposed initiative for the November 4 ballot after verifying that the Arkansas Family Council Action Committee had submitted 85,389 valid signatures of registered voters.

Supporters needed to turn in at least 61,974 valid signatures.

“Arkansas needs to affirm the importance of married mothers and fathers,” Family Council president Jerry Cox said.

“We need to publicly affirm the gold standard of rearing children whenever we can. The state standard should be as close to that gold standard of married mom and dad homes as possible”, he added.

The Family Council campaign is a response to a 2006 Arkansas Supreme Court decision striking down a state policy that specifically barred gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents.

The ballot measure would take the place of a state policy that currently bars unmarried couples living together from serving as foster parents.

The measure faces the threat of a lawsuit from groups who say that it unfairly discriminates against unmarried couples and limits the number of foster and adoptive homes available for children.

Arkansas Families First is campaigning against the measure and has said it plans to file a lawsuit to keep it from appearing on the November ballot.

Debbie Willhite, a lead consultant for the group, said last week the group has found numerous signatures that should have been rejected by the state as invalid and that they also plan to challenge the constitutionality of the measure.

Mississippi and Michigan have explicit policies banning same-sex couples from adopting, while the legal situation is unclear in many other states.

Single gay or lesbian people and same-sex couples are banned from adopting in Florida.

There are no specific restrictions on single gays adopting in any other state.

The channel, which will be launched on October 1 and dubbed Angelicuss TV, will be the first of its kind in a predominantly Orthodox country.

Launched in the north-western town of Cluj by the anti-discrimination group Be An Angel, the channel will only be broadcast on the Internet.

It will cover a varied mix of “gay music, news, entertainment and films,” the channel announced on its website.

Lucian Dunareanu, a president of the organization, says the new channel will have education, not commercial objectives.

“(It) will be a means of communication in the gay community as well as with the Romanian public as a whole,” said Dunareanu.

The investment made by this Romanian association has been minimal; the operation will consist of servers only.

Most of the technical equipment is to be provided for free by a gay channel in Germany.

Dunareanu says he is hopeful that the shows can be watched online by 100 visitors by next year.

The channel will not show any pornographic or indecent material.

Romania joined the EU at the beginning of 2007, at which time it was required to recognise same-sex couples registered in other member states.

The country includes sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination legislation and allows those who have undergone gender reassignment to change their identity.

It was one of the last European countries to decriminalise homosexuality in 1996, and a further law banning “manifestations of homosexuality” was finally repealed in 2001.

In 2002 the age of consent was equalised at 15.

In December 2006 an EU funded poll found that just 11% of Romanians approved of same-sex marriage.

The homophobic rant refers to “idiot fags” in response to a trailer for GFest.

The festival will take place in November across various London venues and provides a unique platform for LGBT artists to express themselves “in new and dynamic ways.”

“It’s shocking see such abusive attitude in this age & times in 2008,” GFest artistic director Niranjan Kamatkar told PinkNews.co.uk

“Over the years of working in LGBT arts, we had faced some nasty and homophobic comments, but this is a rude reminder that we all still need to work a lot for LGBT equality and mainstreaming of LGBT arts such as GFest.”

The abusive comment has been forwarded to the police for further assessment.

GFest, which is supported by PinkNews.co.uk, will be dedicated to creating an acceptance of ethnic and sexual identities through the arts.

Divided into three broad categories, the festival will show short film screenings, performance events and a visual arts exhibition, programmed for November 10th to 28th.

Click here for more information about GFest.

The Jesus to a Child superstar said goodbye in a double-whammy, two-night concert special that started on Sunday.

More than 32,000 people packed into Earls Court for the gigs.

His epic tour began two years ago and Michael has played to more than one million fans, in celebration of 25 years at the top.

The 45-year-old has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and had 12 British number one singles.

Michael told fans gathered on Sunday that he has written another Christmas song, a sign that he is not retiring completely.

The single will accompany a cover of Nina Simone’s Feeling Good, which he recorded for a US TV show earlier this year.

However, he left little doubt about future concerts.

He reportedly said he wants to leave the “bells and whistles” of large-scale tours behind because he wants a “quieter life.”

Michael performed a diverse range of songs spanning all albums at the London concerts.

Last night’s gig was opened with his 1996 hit Fastlove and finished two-and-a-half hours later with Careless Whisper.

He is to play another concert, entitled The Final One, in Copenhagen next Saturday.

An autobiography is expected in 2009.

Michael is to write the book “entirely” by himself and it will cover his early career with Wham!, his life in the closet, the death of his boyfriend h Anselmo Feleppa in 1993 from an AIDS-related illness, his forced coming out after being arrested in a public toilet in Los Angeles and his recent problems with cannabis.

Fifty teams from six continents will be competing for the holy grail of gay football.

The hosts, Leftfooters FC, who have played in three other IGLFA tournaments, will be taking it seriously while partying at the same time.

The club was founded in November 1999 with an informal kick about in Regent’s Park.

This inaugural kick-about was announced in a high profile article in Axiom Magazine, headlined LEFT FOOT FORWARD, which was later reproduced in the newsletter of the Gay Football Supporters Network (GFSN) to draw further recruits.

The Leftfooters made their IGLFA debut in Copenhagen in 2005 and surprised everybody by reaching the semi-finals of the recreational league.

“Our group game against Florida Storm, the then reigning competitive league world championships is still regarded as our finest hour, losing 2-1, giving a stronger, bigger and better organised team and giving them a real scare.” club spokesman Chris Basiurski told PinkNews.co.uk.

“Knowing that we needed to level the playing field a bit, in true Leftfooters style we got them horribly drunk the night before, buying them tequilas instead of Southern Comforts and persuading them that Hoegarden was a weak European ale.”

The Leftfooters believe that this tournament will be important for raising the profile of homosexuality for a number of reasons.

“Originally the event was set up part to dispel the myth that arose after the 1980s that gay men and women were not healthy after the emergence of HIV/AIDS.

“It was also a great opportunity for gay men and women to diversify and take part in activities with like-minded people but taking part for the love of their game, not their sexual preference,” Mr Basiurski said.

“Many gay people were disenfranchised from sport due to homophobia, this kind of event helps create a safe and tolerant environment for people to play and express themselves.

“Homophobia is still rife in football and football is not well respected in the gay community.

“We are hoping to change both of these,” he added.

There is a lot of stake for the both the host team and London.

However, the team believe that having fun, making friends and playing in the right spirit is the key.

“We are not expected to win, it would be nice if we can put in some good performances, get a goal or two and try to avoid going out on penalties AGAIN!”

Birmingham Blaze are but one of the many other teams competing, but they too are no strangers to the world of international football.

It was 25th July 2005 and Birmingham was hit by its worst tornado in history.

From the ashes, Birmingham Blaze FC was forged.

Six founding members braved the elemental forces and kicked a ball in steely defiance.

They were aware that most of the major cities in England had LGBT teams and felt it was time that Second City also had one.

From its genesis, the club’s ethos has been all encompassing.

“We don’t care for talent or skill; we value enthusiasm over ability and promote fair play, inclusiveness and friendliness,” a spokesperson told the BBC when they formed.

Since then, the club has grown immensely but the pride in their values still remain.

“We describe ourselves as a ‘Community Based Club’ where everyone is welcome to join us regardless of status or ability,” club manager Fiona Washington told Pinknews.co.uk.

“This includes having mixed gender teams which is a strong statement against what we as a club see as blatant sex discrimination by the FA, who do not allow mixed football past the age of 11.

“Our philosophy is reflected by now having in place a constitution that operates with strong policies covering equality, inclusion, safety, welfare and confidentiality,” she said.

The Blaze have a great pedigree in international tournaments, being the European Champions of 2006.

The IGLFA world championship coincides with the start of the new football season, so the team will be at their peak fitness.

“I would be lying if I said that we didn’t want to win the cup.

“However all our players will get a chance to participate regardless of their ability and they are passionate about Birmingham Blaze FC,” Ms Washington said.

When asked about the championship’s role in raising the profile of the gay community, she answered positively:

“The championship offers a chance to show the UK and the rest of the World that this community is committed to equality and inclusion offering a place where everyone can participate in sport safely and without discrimination.

“It also offers a platform to challenge homophobia in football and beyond.”

Matches begin on Monday. For more information go to www.londonw2008.co.uk

The Coquilles (which tribal leaders prefer to pronounce KO-kwell) are probably the first tribe in the nation to legalise same-sex marriage, says Brian Gilley, a University of Vermont anthropology professor and author of the book, Becoming Two-Spirit: Gay Identity and Social Acceptance in Indian Country.

Many Native American tribes historically accepted same-sex relationships, Gilley says.

But after a lesbian couple married under an ambiguous Cherokee law in Oklahoma three years ago, that tribe’s council adopted a law banning same-sex marriage.

Other tribes across the nation, including the Navajos, the nation’s largest tribe, passed similar bans, he says.

Because the Coquilles have federal status, a marriage within the tribe would be federally recognised.

That would violate the Defence of Marriage Act, a law that says the federal government “may not treat same-sex relationships as marriages for any purpose.”

The federal government could challenge the Coquille law as a way of testing the limits of tribal independence.

The tribe concluded that the Defense of Marriage Act may bar the tribe from conferring federal benefits or money on same-sex spouses, said Melissa Cribbins, assistant tribal attorney.

Ken Tanner, chief of the Coquilles said: “Native Americans are sensitive to discrimination of any kind.

“For our tribe, we want people to walk in the shoes of other people and learn to respect differences.

“Through that, we think we build a stronger community.”

The new law establishes tribal rules for recognizing marriage, whether for gay or heterosexual couples.

It will not take effect until the tribe also creates laws for divorce and child custody, tribal attorney Brett Kenney says.

The seven-member tribal council expects to adopt such laws next year.

Supporters of the effort to ban same-sex marriage already have taken in more than $1.2 million from out-of-state contributors for the fall campaign.

Conversely, supporters of same-sex marriage are trumping up funds to oppose the Proposition 8 bill.

Bruce Bastian of Utah signed a $1 million (£536,595.15) cheque at a San Francisco dinner last Saturday.

Even before Bastian, a co-founder of the WordPerfect software company, opened his cheque book, gay and lesbian rights groups and their supporters from around the country had put more than $1.3 million into the fight against the ballot initiative.

The Human Rights Campaign, which works for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights out of its Washington headquarters, has raised more than $570,000 for the fight against Prop. 8.

Another Washington group, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, has given $200,000.

David Maltz, a Cleveland businessman, has donated $500,000 to the effort.

“This is a campaign that’s important to the entire country, not just California,” said Brad Luna, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, sponsor of the fundraising dinner that brought more than 750 people to the St. Francis Hotel on Saturday.

“The result will have effects across the United States”, he added.

When the state Supreme Court overturned Proposition 22′s ban on same-sex unions, it opened the way for “nationwide legal chaos” and allowed gay rights groups “to force their radical redefinition of marriage upon the nation,” according to a statement from the California Family Council, one of the supporters of Proposition 8.

Pro-Propostion 8 donators have been proffering aid in super-sized chunks.

Focus on the Family, a Colorado Springs group headed by James Dobson, has given more than $400,000 to the Prop. 8 campaign.

The American Family Association, out of Tupelo, Miss., has contributed $500,000. The Knights of Columbus, a national Catholic men’s organization headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, has put $250,000 into the campaign.

Proposition 8 is an initiative measure on the 2008 California General Election ballot that, if passed, would amend the state Constitution to “eliminate right of same-sex couples to marry.”

The popular greeting card company has been rolling out same-sex wedding cards featuring two tuxedos, overlapping hearts or intertwined flowers, with best wishes inside.

“Two hearts. One promise,” one says.

The language inside the cards is neutral, with no mention of wedding or marriage, making them also suitable for a commitment ceremony.

Hallmark says the move is a response to consumer demand, not any political pressure.

“It’s our goal to be as relevant as possible to as many people as we can,” Hallmark spokeswoman Sarah Gronberg Kolell said.

Hallmark started offering “coming out” cards last year, and the four designs of same-sex marriage cards are being gradually released this summer and will be widely available by next year.

No sales figures were available yet.

“When I have shopped for situations like babies or weddings for gay friends I have good luck in quirky stores,” said Kathryn Hamm, president of the Web site GayWeddings.com.

The Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law estimates that more than 85,000 same-sex couples in the United States have entered into a legal relationship since 1997, when Hawaii started offering some legal benefits to same-sex partners.

It estimates nearly 120,000 more couples will marry in California during the next three years, and that means millions of potential dollars for all sorts of wedding-industry businesses.

A Wednesday statement from the Chamber of Deputies says a measure giving gay couples the right to adopt was withdrawn because federal law doesn’t recognize same-sex civil unions.

A proposal granting same-sex couples the same rights as married heterosexuals has stalled in Brazil’s Congress for more than 10 years, prompting some states to take their own actions.

Southern Rio Grande do Sul state has permitted same-sex civil unions since 2004, and a Sao Paulo state court allowed a gay couple to adopt a 5-year-old girl in late 2006.
The current adoption bill now returns to Brazil’s Senate for further debate.

This may come as a surprise to many as four out of five candidates running for mayor of the important Brazilian city of Salvador committed their support for gay rights in answers to a questionnaire from gay groups, A Tarde reports.

No previous mayor of the city, which is capital of the eastern Brazilian state of Bahia, has pushed through gay rights measures or appointed openly gay city officials.

In the area of education, all four backed age-appropriate sex education with positive discussion of homosexuality and the human rights of GLBT people, as well as stocking municipal libraries with books with accurate scientific and literary information about homosexuality.

Roman Catholic officials in Poland have dismissed the sect as not being a true church.

In 2000, however, Pope John Paul II ratified and ordered the publication of Dominus Lesus, a declaration of the Roman Catholic Church, which recognises the validity of Orders and Sacraments of other Catholic denominations.

This Declaration of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith was signed and published by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) in August of the same year.

“Sadly, it seems that certain Roman Officials in Poland are not aware of the position or policies of their own church”, said the presiding Bishop of the Reformed sect, Archbishop Phillip Zimmerman.

“Yes, we understand that religious zealots and fanatical politicians will seek to deny the validity of this church by frightening the faithful about our unconditional acceptance of people who are gay, bisexual, transgendered, divorced, remarried, questioning or any other artificial and irrelevant barrier or label used by the church to separate people from God.

“Unlike some ‘traditional’ churches, we welcome all people to the table of the Lord, saint and sinner alike, with no judgment, so that they may equally share in the most holy sacraments of the church.

“Most importantly, we welcome and embrace those people whom the church has harmed through a regular and intentional pattern of ignorance, prejudice, discrimination or, worse yet, indifference.

“A true church is a place where the Spirit of God fills the hearts of the people and inspires them on to great works of mercy, charity and love.

“Like many other communities of faith, The Reformed Catholic Church is seeking to be the living hands and feet of our Lord,” he added.

The transgender woman, Lindiwe Ringane, reportedly wanted to enrol in a workshop for potential participants but was made to feel unwelcome by the organisers, Sun International, reported Beeld, an Afrikaans daily newspaper.

While the organisers say that there is no clause in the rules of Miss South Africa to prohibit a trans-woman from taking part, participants must also sign contracts for international pageants such as Miss World, which the winner would be expect to take part in.

Sun International explained that these pageants specifically bar anyone who is not a natural-born woman from participating.

While Ringane, who works as a model, has applied to the Department of Home Affairs to have her identity document changed, she is not yet legally registered as a woman.

According to Robert Hamblin from Gender Dynamix, a group representing transgender people, if Ringane does receive new identity documentation describing her as female, Miss South Africa would not be able to reject on the basis of her gender.

“Should the potential Miss South Africa participant have a South African female identity document it means that the state considers her to be a woman,” he said.

“In South Africa it would be very clearly illegal to discriminate against [such] a woman who has transitioned from male.

“It would be nice to see the pageant do the right thing though. It could be a wonderful learning experience for all involved,” he told Mambaonline.com.

The episode of Special Assignment also suggested that Home Affairs is impeding the process of transgender people receiving changed identify documents and is not fully aware of legislation governing this process.

According to South African law, a person can legally change their gender if they supply two medical reports stating that they have undergone the relevant medical or surgical procedure.

Ringane is apparently considering legal action against the Miss South Africa organisers should she not be allowed to take part because of her gender.

Diane Schroer, 52, has sued for sex discrimination under the Civil Rights Act.

Schroer is a former Army Special Forces commander and applied in 2004 for a job as a terrorism research analyst.

She testified on Tuesday that she was shocked when the job offer was rescinded.

The Library of Congress has argued that Schroer cannot sue because the Civil Rights Act does not protect transsexuals or prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

The trial is being heard without a jury and testimony is expected to last about a week.

The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress.

It is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books.