Registering their disgust at the civil rights march on the BNP website, one disgruntled local branded Pride “a disgusting ‘thrusting in our faces’ of homosexuality, which I consider totally inappropriate.”

Stoke on Trent has nine BNP councillors. The party rode a wave of anti-Labour feeling to win votes in Stoke during the 2003 and 2007 elections.

Gay Pride in Staffordshire has been the centre of controversy before.

In 2003 plans to throw the first Pride in Stoke on Trent were abandoned when local residents and the BNP voiced concerns over the march.

The BNP is opposed to the LGBT community having equal rights with heterosexual couples.

Aaron Cogle, who is heavily involved in setting up Stoke Pride, is not phased by the possible BNP presence.

Speaking to PinkNews.co.uk he said:

“I think everyone is entitled to equal rights. The fact that the BNP’s freedom of speech is protected in this country is wonderful.”

The BNP is reported to be planning to be out raising support among local voters on the same day as Stoke Pride, but as far as Mr Cogle is aware, they are not planning a rally.

“We need to show them through education that Pride is a wonderful thing and a celebration of the diversity that makes Stoke a wonderful place.

“Stoke has in the past had a reputation of not being tolerant and most people want to change that image,” Mr Cogle said.

In the past the BNP has been open about their homophobic policies.

Richard Barnbrook, a BNP London Assembly member, said in an interview with BBC in April:

“You can be gay behind closed doors, you can be heterosexual behind closed doors, but you don’t bring it onto the streets, demanding more rights for it.”

In 2006 Staffordshire police service won the title of Britain’s most gay friendly employer. The force has 2,309 employees, one in 10 of whom are either lesbian, bisexual or gay.

Stoke Pride has already garnered support from local businesses and £20,000 has been raised to support the event.

In Europe this summer homophobic violence at Pride marches in Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic  was perpetrated by neo-Nazi gangs.

In Budapest, Hungary, gangs hurled everything from faeces to petrol bombs and Gay Pride marchers. 45 people were arrested and eight were injured.

Mr Cogle is optimistic Stoke Pride will not face the same problems.

“I think there is a very little chance that we would have those kind of attacks in the UK,” he said.

“The police have been very involved in Stoke Pride right from the beginning.”

The theme of Stoke’s Gay Pride is Clubbers Paradise.

Angie Brown will be performing on the main stage during the day, along with a several drag acts. Scouse star Sonia will be singing in local gay bar, Pink, after 9pm.

Stoke Pride takes place on August 9th Hillcrest St, Hanley from 3pm to 9pm.

Local clubs The Club, Pink and the Three Tuns will open from 9pm until late to continue the festivities.

Click here for more information.

The DELGA, the Lib Dem gay group, is calling for equal rights for the LGBT community.

It put forward the motion to discuss the state of LGBT asylum seekers facing deportation from the UK.

They plan to argue the idea that LGBT asylum seekers can be deported on the grounds they act on their sexuality “discreetly” at home is “an inappropriate message for a the British government to send in the 21st century.”

DELGA secretary Drian Trett said the motion “was on the preliminary list for the conference.”

While the motion is not set in stone, its hoped that it will be discussed in detail the Lib Dem conference.

Mr Trett said the DELGA would be campaigning for better protection of LGBT asylum seekers in the UK.

Rights for gay asylum seekers was an issue at London’s Pride march last month.

Harriet Harman, Labour’s Deputy Leader and Minister for Equality, was booed by the Pride crowd while delivering her speech.

Some Pride London marchers felt the Labour government was exposing LGBT asylum seekers to possible torture, imprisonment and execution by deporting them from Britain.

The remains of the 26-year-old physics student had been left there by his family, a move common in “honour killings” cases.

In Turkey only family members of the deceased have rights over the body.

While reports say Mr Yildiz’s corpse has been collected, no one knows which family member has claimed it. He was shot leaving a cafe on the Bosphorus strait during the weekend.

His body was found in his car.

His partner, who held a German passport, left the country on the advice of the consulate.

Speaking exclusively to PinkNews.co.uk he said:

“Ahmet had been receiving threats for as long as I knew him. He told me this has been going on since his coming out a year ago.

“When he came out to his parents, who had always suspected, they made him feel guilty about it.”

Mr Yildiz’s partner, who asked not to be named as he is in fear of his life, said had he joined his partner for an ice cream on last week, he would have been shot dead himself.

“Ahmet had asked me if I wanted to go out for an ice cream. as I had just settled down for the night at Ahmet’s flat, I declined.

“A couple of minutes later there were burst of loud gunfire outside the flat. I knew immediately that involved Ahmet and rushed out of the flat,” he said.

“I arrived at the scene to see Ahmet’s car reversing out of his parking space, trying to escape.

“I fought through some onlookers just in time to see him with his eyes open and asked him please don’t die, then he shut his eyes.”

Turkish police have yet to launch an investigation into the shooting.

Many of Mr. Yildiz’s friends, including his partner, believe his family are involved and murdered him because he was openly gay.

“Even before Ahmet came out there was trouble with his family,” Mr Yildiz’s bereaved partner said. “When he came out it only got worse.”

Homophobia in Turkey has always been rife, but according to Mr Yildiz’s partner, it has gotten worse over the last four years.

He describes homophobia in Turkey to be “unbelievably bad.”

“I can only speak for the Istanbul area but in the countryside it is much worse. In the country honour plays too strong a role for the family,” he said.

Mr Yildiz’s partner is not optimistic about his chances to bring Ahmet’s murderers to justice.

“I know the Turkish system. I know I haven’t got a leg to stand on. Human rights are known and accepted in the West but are not freely available in Turkey.

“I have no claim to his estate and body and cannot even collect my personal belongings from his flat. I cannot even bury my loved one.

“Apart from giving my statement to the press, I as an individual have absolutely no chance to bring his parents to justice for this murder of their son and my partner.”

Mr Yildiz’s partner has given statements to the police at the site of Ahmet’s murder, as well as handing in a signed statement to the local police station.

He fled Turkey the night of Mr Yildiz’s murder and has been living in fear of his life since.

A source at Granada told the News of the World: “Violet was pinpointed as the one character they could take down that route. It does seem ridiculous it has never been explored on Corrie but that’s all about to change.”

Popular barmaid Violet Wilson would have been Corrie’s first lesbian character, had her straight relationships with Jamie Baldwin (Rupert Hill) and Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) not proved so popular with viewers.

There has been no official announcement about when the first lesbian character will be treading Weatherfield’s famous cobbled streets.

A source from Granada, the company that produces Corrie, told the News of the World : “Corrie lags behind on issues of race and gender.

“Executives want to create a soap which is representative of society in 2008 and they are acutely aware they need more gay characters.”

Coronation Street began in December 1960 and had its first gay storyline in 2003, when Todd (Bruno Langley) kissed a sleeping Nick (Adam Rickitt).

Todd was left out in the cold as Nick remained straight.

Despite Corrie creator Terry Warren’s openness about his homosexuality, the soap has lagged behind EastEnders, Emmerdale and Brookside in its running of gay story lines.

The first gay couple to appear as a regular storyline in a soap opera were Colin and Barry on BBC1′s EastEnders in 1986.

The London-set soap currently has openly gay Christian played by John Partridge, who has been welcomed by critics as a realistic portrayal of a London based, thirty something gay man.

In 1994, Brookside’s first lesbian kiss between Beth Jordache and Margaret Clemence excited tabloid interest.

No major UK soap has yet featured a same-sex ‘marriage’ storyline.

Corrie has one LGBT card to play over all other soaps – an Ian McKellen cameo. The founding member of Stonewall appeared in the soap in May 2005, fulfilling one his life’s ambitions.

Some are suggesting the introduction of a lesbian character has sprung from the popularity of Sean Tully, Weatherfield’s stereotypically gay character.

A spokesman for the march said it was designed to tell the Pope “homosexuality is not a sin.”

Protesters carried placards with slogans reading “Pope go homo” and “Pope wanted for murder.”

Pope Benedict XVI had been in Australia as part of World Youth Day (WYD) a mass gathering of pilgrims aimed at encouraging them to “celebrate their faith around a particular theme.”

As pilgrims marched through from Anzac Parade and Moore Park Road, in Sydney on Sunday, thousands of protesters handed out free condoms along the route.

There was one reported clash between protesters and pilgrims. A Catholic man launched himself onto a gay protester, punching him on the neck.

He was arrested and later released without charge.

The protests were mostly peaceful. The New South Wales police had banned protesters from attending WYD under the guise it was illegal to “annoy” the protesters.

This ban was later overturned by the Australian Federal Court. Pope Benedict returned to Rome yesterday.

Yildiz, a 26-year-old physics student, was shot leaving a cafe on the Bosphorus strait during the weekend.

His body was found in his car.

He was believed to be fleeing the attack when he lost control of the vehicle and crashed.

His partner, who held a German passport, left the country on the advice of the consulate.

He had no rights over his partner’s body, which has been left lying in the city morgue.

The murder is believed by Mr Yildiz’s friends to be an “honour killing” carried out by members of his own family.

“From the day I met him, I never heard Ahmet have a friendly conversation with his parents,” a close friend told The Independent.

“They would argue constantly, mostly about where he was, who he was with, what he was doing.”

Mr Yildiz’s friends fear that because of his family’s rejection of his sexuality they will not claim the body. His friends have no power to collect the body for burial.

Standing outside the morgue that held Mr Yildiz’s body, a friend of his told The Independent: “We’ve been trying to contact Ahmet’s family since Wednesday, to get them to take responsibility for the funeral. There’s no answer and I don’t think they are going to come.”

It is common for families of “honour killings” not to collect the body of the victim.

In the months leading up to his murder, Mr Yildiz had been to a prosecutor to report death threats he had received. The case was dropped.

Ahmet Yildiz represented his country at an international gay gathering in San Francisco in 2007.

Sedef Cakmak, a friend and member of gay rights group Lambda said: “He fell victim to a war between old mentalities and growing civil liberties.”

Turkey has tried to project a more liberal attitude towards the LGBT community since it began lobbying the European Union for membership status.

This year’s gay Pride in Istanbul was the largest ever recorded in the city.

The ruling party, Justice and Development Party (AKP) was the first in Turkey’s history to send a deputy to a conference on Gay rights.

The AKP has struggled to balance the demands of Turkey’s more liberal population with the conservatives.

In May an Istanbul court placed a ban on the country’s largest LGBT civil rights group, Lambda.

Woman are usually the victims of “honour killings” and Ahmet Yildiz’s case is considered unique.

He was buried alongside his close friend Ambrose St John.

There has been much speculation about the nature of the relationship between the two priests.

Writing at the time of St John’s death in 1875, Newman said:

“I have ever thought no bereavement was equal to that of a husband’s or a wife’s, but I feel it difficult to believe that any can be greater, or any one’s sorrow greater, than mine.”

Though Cardinal Newman was a lifelong celibate, and many scholars argue that his love for his fellow priest was merely Platonic, this move by the Catholic Church has fuelled speculation that they are embarrassed by the close nature of the friendship between the two men.

Newman and St John shared a house together and were lifelong friends. They share a tombstone with the inscription “out of shadows and phantasms into the truth” etched across it.

The Catholic Church claims the move is in preparation for his beatification, the third stage of recognition of sainthood.

His remains will be moved to a sarcophagus in Birmingham Oratory.

The larger Catholic community has expressed concern over the move.

Elena Curti, deputy editor of respected Catholic Journal The Tablet said: “It’s clearly documented that he wanted to be buried with his close friend and it’s a pity that his dying wish is not being respected.

“I’d have thought Ambrose St John could be disinterred and placed with Newman.”

Martin Prendergast, a homosexual campaigner in the Catholic Church, claimed the relationship had caused misgivings in the Vatican: “I don’t think they can just pretend the relationship didn’t exist,” he said.

An expert on Newman said the request to be buried with another man would probably not be allowed by the modern Catholic Church.

Friar Ian Ker said, “The concept of friendship has died. No one in those days would have suspected anything.”

Cardinal Newman has to have one more miracle performed in his name before he can become a saint.

Cardinal Newman,  who died in 1890, set up the Catholic University of Ireland, which is now the University College Dublin.

He was a pillar of the Oxford Movement, which tried to bring the Anglican church back to its Roman Catholic roots. After this failed he converted to Roman Catholicism.

Pope Benedict XVI was presented with pictures of Cardinal Newman during a private meeting with the Blair family in 2007.

Cherie Blair is reported to have said: “I believe you are very familiar with him and he is on the journey to sainthood.”

The Pontiff responded, “Yes, yes, although it is taking some time – miracles are hard to come by in Britain.”

Tony Blair converted to Catholicism in December last year, after he left office as Prime Minister.

Love Thy Neighbour, a report published by the gay equality group, interviewed followers of Jewish, Christian, Muslim and Hindu faiths.

The interviews were conducted by researchers from the University of Leeds led by Professor Gill Valentine, Director of Leeds Social Science Institute.

Amir, a 30 year old Muslim who was questioned for Love Thy Neighbour said: “To judge somebody because of their sexuality is the same as judging them because of their colour. It’s not acceptable.”

Stonewall chief executive Ben Summerskill said:

“Witnessing the saddening divisions in the Church of England demonstrated at this week’s Lambeth Conference, it’s telling that so many people of faith say they actually live, work and socialise with lesbian and gay people, and that significantly reduces negative ideas about difference.

“Many Christians, Jews, Muslims and Hindus are clearly markedly more moderate that we are often allowed to believe.

“The stark conclusion to draw when it comes to religion and homosexuality is that it may be time to start listening to the voices of the many people of faith in Britain which have until now not been heard enough.”

The Lambeth Conference has highlighted the schism in the Anglican church over homosexuality.

260 bishops have declined invitations because of the Church’s stance on homosexuality.

The only openly gay Bishop in the Anglican Church, Gene Robinson of New Hampshire was denied an invitation to Lambeth because of his sexuality.

The Stonewall report suggests that civil partnerships for same-sex couples had helped increase acceptance for the LGBT community across British society.

This confirms the findings of another report published in 2007 by Stonewall, Living Together, a survey of 2,000 people found that most followers hold much more tolerant views on gay rights than their religious leaders often claimed on their behalf.

84% of those who were religious disagreed with the statement “homosexuality is morally unacceptable in all circumstances.”

Participants of Love Thy Neighbour made a number of recommendations.

They suggested acknowledging the existence of religious gay and lesbian people.

Participants said they should listen to quieter voices within faith communities and not just those who “make the most noise.”

They also suggested that anyone working towards tightening community relations should listen to peoples of all faiths, and not just religious leaders.

Nadish, a 60 year old Hindu who took part in the report said: “Everybody has got the right to live life in his own way … so if somebody is lesbian or homosexual, it’s entirely up to them.”

Constable Graham Cogman, said he felt victimised for refusing to wear a pink ribbon to mark Gay history month.

He claims the force has been “bombarded” by posters advertising gay events.

PC Cogman said, “The blatant support for homosexual rights in Norfolk Police makes being a Christian officer extremely difficult,” in an interview with the Mail on Sunday.

Norfolk Police have responded by saying the will fight PC Cogman.

Spokeswoman Anne Campbell said, “we welcome people of all beliefs and races into the workforce and fully respect everyone’s views.

“While we fully respect the officer has strong beliefs, it is only correct that he respects the beliefs and wishes of others.”

The spokeswoman said PC Cogman had acted below “the standard we expect,” from employees.

The complaints against PC Cogman stem back to 1995 when a gay colleague sent emails round to staff encouraging them to support Gay History Month by wearing a pink ribbon.

In response to this the Constable circulated emails quoting the bible, suggesting homosexual sex was sinful.

He was sent to a disciplinary tribunal who fined him 13 days pay and barred him from using the internal messaging system.

PC Cogman’s action echoes Lillian Ladele’s, the evangelical Christian registrar who recently won a case against Islington council.

Ms Ladele claimed she was bullied after she refused to conduct civil partnership’s for same sex couples.

Islington council is appealing against the ruling.

PC Cogman said he got on well with most of his colleagues, and the “harassing behaviour” stems from a few officers who are using the internal investigation procedure to intimidate him.

As well as PC Cogman taking his employers to a tribunal, Norfolk Police are taking him to another disciplinary hearing.

After he was banned from using the internal messaging system, PC Cogman posted a link to an American Christian help line.

When he was interviewed by bosses about it he said he had posted the link as he was trying to help people struggling with their sexuality.

The link was to Christian help line that PC Cogman said had helped a friend who was struggling with their sexuality.

In response to this Norfolk Police felt it appropriate to take PC Cogman to a disciplinary hearing.

PC Cogman says he fears for his job and said he is “not undertaking this action lightly but I have to make a stand when things become so blatantly biased against me just because I hold a faith.”

The action looks set to cost Norfolk Police hundreds of thousands of pounds.

2008 has been a costly year for the Norfolk force.

In March, a 16 month investigation into a culture of bullying in the force cleared all senior officers of wrongdoing, despite claims the force was homophobic.

Last month the force was told to pay a retired inspector £280,000 after a recruitment error.

PC Cogman is set to be represented by barrister Paul Diamond, who represented Nadia Eweida when British Airways suspended her for wearing a cross.

He will argue that police forces have become obsessed with inclusiveness at the cost of Christian morals and beliefs.

A spokeswoman for Norfolk Police said they would not tolerate homophobic behaviour.

Yoweri Museveni said the purpose of life was to create children and that homosexuality was a “negative foreign culture.”

Uganda is one of the African countries at the centre of a row in the Anglican Communion over homosexuality and the ordination of gay priests that threatens to rip the Anglican Church to shreds.

260 bishops, many of them African, have declined invitations to the Lambeth conference, (the once a decade meeting of Anglican bishops) on the grounds of ordination of woman and gay bishops is immoral and against the teachings of Christ.

The conference began in Canterbury this week. 650 bishops and archbishops are in attendance.

The Archbishop of Uganda, Henry Luke Orombi has already called for all pro-gay bishops to apologise to God. During a press conference he said, “The rift in the Church can only be bridged if the liberal bishops, espousing sexual perversion, repent and return to Christ’s teachings.”

In June this year, Ugandan Bishop Luzinda condemned homosexuality.

“I have been hearing that gays are demanding that the government should legalise their activities. This is absurd because God created a man and woman so that they can produce and fill this world,” Bishop Luzinda said.

“The government should not be tempted to legalise this backward culture which is bound to destroy this country.”

“Not all that comes from Europe is superior and must be taken up by us,” Bishop Luzinda said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury has also angered liberal members, particularly the US Episcopal Church, for not inviting openly gay bishop Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to the Lambeth conference.

The plight of Uganda’s gay men and lesbians has been highlighted recently, with high profile asylum cases such as Prossy Kakooza championed by Peter Tatchell and LGBT equality groups.

At Pride London earlier this month the Deputy Labour Party Leader and Minister for Equality, Harriet Harman, was booed over the government’s high deportation record of gay and lesbian asylum seekers.

Many gay asylum seekers are being deported on the premise that they can continue to pursue their sexuality in the native land if they act “discreetly”.

In 2006 a Uganadan newspaper published a list of citizens they believed to be gay. The Red Paper printed 45 first names and professions of people believed to be homosexual men.

During President Museveni’s time in office LGBT Ugandans have been repeatedly threatened, harassed or attacked. Many have fled the country.

“Geboortenaam” translates to “birth name”. It will replace maiden name on official forms, radio Netherlands reported on Wednesday.

The Dutch Language Union hopes it will save married gay men from any embarrassment when taking their spouses surname.

Despite its liberal reputation, Amsterdam and the rest of the Netherlands have been facing a rise in homophobic attacks over the last few years.

The government has committed to millions of Euros to fighting homophobia in the country.

A recent European poll found the Dutch to be the strongest supporters of same-sex marriage in the EU, with 82% in favour.

The Czech Repbulic was recently criticised for having too many children in state care. 20,000 children currently reside in institutions within the country.

Tereza Kodickova, spokeswoman for a Czech LGBT equality group the Gay and Lesbian League welcomed the news:

“The community, I think, is potentially interested because there are quite a few lesbian couples who haven’t yet registered because their main motivation to enter into a registered partnership is to raise children,” Tereza said.

“On the other hand, we, as the Gay and Lesbian League, are waiting to hear from the community what their priorities are as to the changes in the current registered partnership legislation.”

A RCA poll showed 42% of the country were against gay adoption, while 39% supported it.

Tereza did not seemed phased by the results and felt a debate was imminent: “Well, given the fact that the minister has already made the statement, I think the debate has been launched, the time being right or not.”

She was quick to explain that the proposed legislation was designed to bring already formed families together, not allow gay parents to adopt children from orphanages:

“People generally tend to think that to adopt a child means to adopt somebody else’s child.,” Tereza said.

“But currently there is no legal relationship between the child and the non-biological parent who is actually already raising the child. So what we need is adoption by the non-biological parent who is currently raising the child.”

She speculated that, “Minister Stehlikova would wish this to become generally known that at this point it is not about adopting strange children, so to say, but adopting a child that is already being raised by the couple.”

The Czech Republic has become a more openly tolerant society towards the LGBT community in the last few years.

In June Prague held its first Gay Pride march. Anti-gay protests had been banned in the week running up to the event, but marchers were set upon by far-right protesters.

The National Party, one of the groups to picket Gay Pride, said in a statement, “The march’s goal is nothing but pressure on the majority. The disgusting pressure aims to make society accept adoption of children by homosexual couples.”

20 people were injured and three were arrested when homophobic protests got out of handed and erupted into violence.

The Czech Republic has been conducting a study on the impact of gay parents on children. The results are due to be released in early 2009.

Dzamila Stehlikova, the minister for human rights and ethnic minorities, hopes the findings will aid the debate on gay adoption.

It is the first Pride to take place in the region.

Organisers thought it would be fitting to have the first Scottish woman to debut at number one entertaining revellers.

Michael Hawthorne, Community Health Manager for LGBT Youth Scotland, told PinkNews.co.uk that McManus was chosen for Dumfries’ first Gay Pride because, “she is Scottish and inspirational.”

The Pop Idol winner has begun to make a name for herself on the gay club circuit. She played Soho club G-A-Y last year and recently performed at Blackpool Pride.

Other acts announced include local opera singer Nicky Spence, who will entertain the crowd with songs from his debut album, My First Love.

Michael Hawthorne said Pride was aimed at “raising awareness of LGBT issues and the LGBT community in Dumfries.”

He also said it was a great opportunity to “get everyone together and have a bit of fun.”

Dumfries has had few recorded cases of homophobia, but Mr. Hawthorne said there had been “cases of name calling,” towards to the LGBT community.

There is an LGBT centre in the Scottish town, which has been running successfully for the last two years.

They offer self-esteem building courses as well practical advice.

Dumfries Pride will take place on 16th August in Park Farm.

A Pride Prom at DG One leisure centre will start at 8pm.

The organising committee is looking for volunteers, especially those who can assist with stewarding on the day.

Contact Dumfries Pride on 01387 739 888, email: dandg@lgbtyouth.org.uk or find more information at www.bebo.com/dumfries-pride.

NoToPope, a coalition of LGBT, atheist and religious groups, was able to protest at World Youth Day (WYD) in Syndey, which started on Tuesday and ends on Sunday.

The ban had been in place because of fears of clashes between protesters and Catholics.

Denounced as against the principles of free speech, the court lifted the ban so peaceful protests could take place.

The court said the ban, “should not be interpreted as conferring powers that are repugnant to fundamental rights and freedoms at common law in the absence of clear authority from Parliament”.

A spokesman for NoToPope was critical of the Catholic leader, branding him “homophobic.”

Rachel Evans said the Pope, “condemns same-sex marriage, and also condemns millions of people to AIDS via his world-wide anti-condom policy.”

The group has exercised the right to protest by handing out free condoms and leaflets at WYD.

WYD, or “Catholic Woodstock” as it was being dubbed, was organised by the Catholic Church to encourage young people to “celebrate their faith around a particular theme.”

During his speech to the 150,000 strong congregation at the WYD march in Moore Park, Sydney earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI issued at ferocious attack on pop culture, blaming it for social degradation and global warming.

“I ask myself, could anyone standing face to face with people who actually do suffer violence and sexual exploitation explain that these tragedies, portrayed in virtual form, are considered merely entertainment?” he said.

After pilgrims took Mass they celebrated to a selection of pop classics, including Sebastian’s Elevator Love, Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares to You and Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, which were played over loudspeakers.

The fact that O’Connor has declared herself a priest after being ordained by a breakaway sect of the Roman Catholic Church did not seem to dent the enthusiasm for her music.

In his speech to the gathered youth the Pope attacked consumerism and blamed it for global warming.

“There are scars which mark the surface of our earth, erosion, deforestation, the squandering of the world’s mineral and ocean resources in order to fuel an insatiable consumption,” the Pope said.

WYD has been marred by reports of pilgrims suffering from the flu and gastroenteritis.

Control measures have been implemented at the sites where illness was reported by the New South Wales health service.

The Terrence Higgins Trust, (THT) an HIV and sexual health charity, is launching the “Family Matters” campaign, funded by the Department of Health.

“We know there is a link between poor health and social exclusion,” says Marc Thompson, deputy head of health promotions at THT.

“We want to create a healthy home environment for young men to come out in.”

THT’s media campaign involves placing ads in women’s magazines.

They hope this will persuade mothers to take an active role in helping their children to come out without the fear of retribution from the family.

“Having a son or daughter come out as gay can be shocking or worrying, but there is support out there,” said Mr Thompson.

“By helping families cope, talk and avoid friction we hope to reduce the physical and mental damage that can be caused by estrangement. Keeping the family together is what matters.

“Research indicates that there is a greater impact on working class men.

“Our campaign is specifically targeted at men when coming out in the family.”

The campaign has been criticised for targeting only young gay men. Young lesbians and transgender teenagers are likely to face the same level of homophobia from their family as gay men.

“The funding of the campaign was on the basis that it is trying to tackle the prevalence of HIV among young gay men,” Marc says. “But if you go to our website you will find information for girls and boys about dealing with homophobia. Of course we would always refer people to the best source of help.”

Fears that homophobia leads to anxiety, self harm and depression have been in the media spotlight recently when Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg spoke out against homophobic bullying earlier this month.

“Gay pupils have higher levels of truancy, drop-out, mental health problems, panic attacks and eating disorders,” Mr Clegg said.

“Worst of all, one survey has shown that half of lesbian, gay and bisexual adults who were bullied at school contemplated self-harm or suicide.”

“And four in ten had attempted it at least once. These facts are as tragic as they are outrageous.”

The Family Matters campaign is aiming to bring these numbers down.

“We want to create a healthy home environment so that gay men are less likely to take risks,” said Mr Thompson.

In the last decade the number of gay men suffering from HIV has doubled, something THT attribute to the poor health brought on by social exclusion.

Kamal and Reza fled Iran for Turkey so they could start a life together without the fear of being punished for their sexuality.

Kamal has been told he will be recognised as a refugee while Reza is hopeful he will receive notification soon.

Human rights groups claim up to 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the 1979 revolution in Iran.

These are usually under the guise of honour killings, says a 2006 report released by LGBT activists OutRage!

In a speech given to Columbia University in New York in September 2007, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said, “In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.”

Kamal and Reza fled Iran and arrived in Turkey in December 2006.

As Turkey does not recognise non-European refugees, anyone seeking asylum must register for refugee status within five days of arriving in the country.

It has taken until now for Kamal to be recognised as a refugee.

A diabetes sufferer, Kamal had been suffering from fits due to lack of medication.

This has caused his partner, Reza, so much worry he has developed depression. Both of them have been living in unsanitary conditions with very little income.

Reza is still waiting to hear back from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) but is optimistic he will receive news of his refugee status in a couple of days.

The Iranian Refugee Queer Organisation, who have backed Kamal and Reza’s campaign, called the news of Kamal’s refugee status “a testament to what the international community can achieve.”

After details of Reza and Kamal’s case were reported by the international news media, the UNCHR received a plethora of emails urging them to act on behalf of these two asylum seekers.

Turkey has a long history of offering safety for refugees. Between 1923 to 1997 1.6 million people fled to Turkey, displaced by WW2, the Cold War and the Gulf conflicts.

Millions have fled Iran since the 1979 revolution and many either have settled in Turkey or claimed refugee status and emigrated to another country.

Amnesty International has reported cases of non-European asylum seekers registering for refugee status and then being forcefully deported by Turkish authorities.

There have been cases where refugees have been handed directly to the authorities of the country they were fleeing. 

Buzzing with the glowing reviews of Heath Ledger’s last performance as the Joker, the late actor has been tipped for a posthumous Oscar.

“I do think that Heath has created an iconic villain that will stand for the ages, and of course, I would love to see him get an award,” said Christian Bale, talking to the Associated Press at the Batman premiere.

Ledger died aged 28 from an accidental painkiller overdose at the end of January this year.

He was survived by his former partner, Michelle Williams, and their two year old daughter Matilda.

Michelle described Matilda to be the “spitting image” of Ledger.

Batman: The Dark Knight was already tipped to be one of the summer’s biggest blockbusters.

It has received critical acclaim across the pond, with one critic calling it “the new gold standard for superhero noir.”

Bale reprises his role as the troubled vigilante, along with Sir Michael Caine as his wry butler Alfred and Gary Oldman as the future Commissioner Gordon.

Oldman went on to fuel speculation that his late co-star could be the first actor to nab a posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for Network, in 1976.

“He may even win the damn thing,” Oldman said to the Associated Press at the New York premiere.

“Whatever Heath channelled into, he’s found something quite extraordinary,” he continued. “It’s arguably one of the greatest screen villains I think I’ve ever seen.”

Not everyone is convinced.

Terry Gilliam, was directing Ledger in The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus when the actor passed away.

He dismissed the reports as of an Oscar as a publicity stunt.

“Warner Brothers will do anything to publicise their film,” Gilliam said.

“That’s just what they do and you can’t get upset because it’s bull**** They’re like a great white shark which devours whatever it can.”

Ledger already received an Best Actor nomination for his portrayal of a closeted cowboy struggling with his sexuality in Brokeback Mountain, in 2006.

He lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman for his portrayal of Truman Capote, a prolific journalist and author who was also struggling with his sexuality.

Oscar nominations will be announced in January of next year.

Prior to Ledger’s premature death, The Dark Knighthad garnered a buzz around it. News of Ledger’s portrayal of the malevolent psychotic clown had whipped up enthusiasm from fans.

This came head when the January issue of Empire magazine, the film lovers bible, featured a smirking Joker as a “cold blooded mass murdering clown.”

The Dark Knight opens in cinemas on 25th July and will end with a tribute to Heath Ledger.

A series of chamber music concerts will be held at BBC Manchester to celebrate the spirit of equality.

To mark the 150th anniversary of her birth, thet will feature works by Dame Ethel.

Performances from tenor John Mark Ainsley, guitarist Ed Billingham, the Symposia string quartet and students from Royal Northern College of Music will also take place.

The pieces performed are based on the theme of music as a form of protest and have been written largely by gay and lesbian composers.

Dame Ethel was one of the most celebrated composers of her time.

She wrote the anthem for the suffragette movement, March of the Women, and completed six operas before her death in 1944.

Her second opera, Der Wald, made history by being the first female-composed opera to be preformed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York.

Devoted to the suffragette cause, she spent two months in Holloway prison after smashing the office windows of a Cabinet Minister during a votes for women march.

During her imprisonment she was seen conducting the prison’s makeshift suffragette choir, who were exercising in the yard below her cell, by hanging from her window using her toothbrush to keep time.

She fell in love with Virginia Woolf, which Mrs Woolf described as “like being caught be a giant crab.”

The two enjoyed a friendship until Woolf’s suicide, in 1941. Date Ethel died three years later.

The concerts will take place at 1pm every day from August 18 to 22 and are part of the Manchester Pride celebrations.

The main event is the big weekend, 22 to 25 August, a 72 hour celebration of the LGBT community.

For more information click here.

Last year 281 young men were diagnosed with HIV in the UK, compared to 128 in 1998.

1 in 20 gay men in the UK are now living with disease. In London that number is now as high as 1 in 10.

The National AIDS Trust said it wants sex and relationships education in schools to deal with same sex relationships.

Deborah Jack, chief executive of the NAT, said HIV and the stigma surrounding it can be fought if sex education in schools is improved.

“Current sex education completely fails young gay men and we are seeing the results in increasing numbers being diagnosed with HIV,” she said.

“Teachers are given no guidance on how to talk about same sex relationships in the classroom and government sponsored TV campaigns fail to even acknowledge gay relationships.

“Gay men are entitled to the same level of sex and relationships education as their heterosexual peers.

“We know that the habits learnt at a young age stay with people, so it is important young men get the right information early on and are encouraged to practise safer sex.”

The HPA has urged all gay men to take an annual HIV test, as well as every time they believe themselves to be at risk of infection.

Gay men remain most at risk from HIV, and 48% of those diagnosed with the disease in the past year were gay men. The majority of new diagnoses have been among older men.

HIV is tricky to diagnose by symptoms alone. When their immune system is sufficiently depleted, HIV positive people become more vulnerable to infections.

The only way to be certain of your HIV status is to have a test.

Stigma surrounding HIV is also on the rise.

In a report published by the National Aids Trust (NAT) in January of this year, almost half of those questioned felt an HIV positive person who had been infected by having unprotected sex only had themselves to blame.

Over two-thirds questioned said anyone infected by sharing needles only had themselves to blame for their infection.

70% of people agreed that an HIV+ person deserves the same respect and support as a cancer patient.

At Pride London 2008, organisers began a fundraising effort for a free weekend HIV clinic.

£50,000 is needed for the project and supporters can still contribute by texting “HI CLINIC” to 84424 or by visiting the website.

NAT said their biggest concern was the number of HIV+ who go undiagnosed.

To find you nearest sexual health clinic go to: www.condomessentialwear.co.uk/get-help

Kamal and Reza fled Iran two years ago, the group said.

They had been denied the right to live together by their families and the state.

Iran’s oppressive Islamic regime does not recognise the existence of the LGBT community.

Gay men are frequently executed under the guise of “honour killings” according to a report published by OutRage! in 2006.

Human rights groups claim up to 4,000 gay men and lesbians have been executed since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Kamal and Reza registered for refugee status in Turkey on December 9, 2006 and have been told to “just wait” by the UN Refugee Agency.

They were interviewed by UN lawyers in October 2007 but have heard nothing from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“Kamal and Reza have been left without any official state protection since they arrived in Turkey and are liable to deported at any time,” IRQO said.

“The situation is exacerbated by Kamal’s diabetes, which has deteriorated under the stress suffered as an Iranian asylum seeker. He now suffers regular fits and convulsions.

“Reza has developed depression because of the struggle to live peacefully with his partner.

“Their situation is not unique in Turkey, as countless gay Iranians seek safety in the country.

“They are usually met with dilapidated accommodation, apathetic immigration officers and health problems.”

Turkey’s already questionable human rights record suffered another blow in June of this year, when an court forced gay civil rights group, Lambda Istanbul, to close.

Despite the presence of numerous transgender and openly gay entertainers, being openly gay is still considered taboo.

The Iranian Queer Organisation is urging anyone who is concerned by the state of gay Iranian asylum seekers to write to the UNCHR in Ankara.