Jessica has been the editor of PinkNews.co.uk since 2009.
-
19 March 2009Gay hotel: Sewage ‘was actually sand’ 36 It has been claimed that Club Tucanes, the gay hotel in Gran Canaria which evacuated guests due to a 'sewage leak', was actually evicted for non-payment of rent. -
18 March 2009Scottish hate crimes law to be extended to cover anti-gay crimes 4 Scottish justice secretary Kenny MacAskill has said that extending hate crime laws to protect LGBT people and the disabled will send out a "clear message" that such crimes cannot be tolerated. -
18 March 2009Orange County gay event shut down amid claims of discrimination 1 A weekly gay bowling event in Orange County, Los Angeles, has been closed down. Police said it was due to venue Lucky Strike allowing live entertainment and outside promotions without a permit. -
18 March 2009Minnesota gay marriage ban ‘will prevent world from ending’ 38 The Minnesota Family Council has introduced an amendment to ban gay marriage, which it claims will stop the world from ending. -
18 March 2009Obama to sign worldwide gay rights declaration 12 The Obama administration is to endorse a UN declaration calling for the worldwide decriminalisation of homosexuality. President George W Bush had refused to sign the declaration during his office, making the US the only western state not to offer its support. -
17 March 2009Pope claims condoms ‘could make African AIDS crisis worse’ 59 Pope Benedict XVI today added to the controversy over the Catholic church's stance on condoms when he argued that they were not the answer to Africa's fight against HIV and Aids and could even make the problem worse. -
17 March 2009Lib Dems: ‘Tories must clarify whether they plan to ally with homophobes’ 22 The Liberal Democrats have called for the Conservative Party to clarify whether they intend to form an alliance with the Polish Law and Justice Party in the European Parliament. The Law and Justice Party has a reputation for anti-gay sentiment. -
17 March 2009Soho LGBT charity wins £1m lottery grant + Kairos in Soho, a charity which provides support and activities for the LGBT community, is celebrating after receiving two lottery grants totalling almost £1 million. The organisation, based in Archer Street, was awarded the grants by the Big Lottery Fund. -
17 March 2009HIV/AIDS ‘epidemic’ in Washington DC 1 Three per cent of Washington DC residents suffer from HIV or AIDS - a rate higher than in some African countries such as Uganda. According to a report from the city's health department, there has been a 22 per cent increase in rates of the disease since 2006. -
17 March 2009Vermont deliberates over gay marriage 9 A week of hearings began yesterday on a bill to allow same-sex couples in Vermont, US, to marry. If approved, the state would join Massachusetts and Connecticut as the only US states that allow gay marriage. -
17 March 2009Chris Moyles wants Elton John on new show 8 Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles has said he would like to have Sir Elton John as a guest on his new Channel 4 chat show. He said: "I'd love to get Elton John, I think he'd be hilarious. The chances of getting him on aren't very good, but it would be great if he'd do it. -
17 March 2009Lesbian student permitted to wear prom tux + A lesbian student in Indiana, US, has been allowed to wear a tuxedo to her school prom. The anonymous student sued Lebanon Schools last week, complaining that the school's special dress code for prom required her to wear a formal gown, discriminating against her and violating her rights to expression. -
16 March 2009Interview: Britain’s gay Consul General to Cape Town 6 Coming from Leeds polytechnic university, Richard Wood was always going to be an unusual diplomat. Currently, he heads the British Consulate in Cape Town and lives in the city with his partner, riding a red Vespa to work. -
16 March 2009Campaign for review of gender dysphoria policy in Oxfordshire 4 Four trans women are campaigning for Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust to review its policy, funding and practice for the treatment of Gender Identity Dysphoria. According to the group, the PCT is "lagging behind" other counties in its understanding and treatment of the illness. -
16 March 2009Opponents seek to repeal gay and trans protection provisions in Florida 6 Voting has begun today on whether to repeal a Gainesville, Florida, ordinance that gives protection to LGBT citizens. If passed, the Charter Amendment 1 will make the ordinance conform to the Florida Civil Rights Act, cancelling the anti-discrimination protections Gainesville extends to gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans people. -
16 March 2009Nigerian Archbishop ‘wants gay wedding witnesses to be jailed” 26 Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Peter Akinola, has said that gay marriage is "capable of engendering moral and social holocaust" and has called for those who attend gay weddings to be sentenced to a year in jail. -
16 March 2009Portia de Rossi: ‘I cried when Prop 8 passed’ + Portia de Rossi has spoken of her sadness at the passing of Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California. -
13 March 2009Study to be released on poverty among gay Americans 8 An analysis of poverty among lesbian, gay and bisexual Americans is to be presented to Congress next Friday. Its authors have said it undermines myth of gay affluence and demonstrates that lesbian, gay and bisexual citizens are as likely, or more likely, to be poor than heterosexuals. -
13 March 2009US Republican Party head: ‘I can’t deny gays their nature’ 12 The new head of the Republican Party, Michael Steele, has spoken out on gay issues. However, he admitted being against marriage for same-sex couples but denied his view was homophobic. -
13 March 2009Rise of ‘corrective rapes’ on lesbians in South Africa 5 A new report has suggested a rise in 'corrective rapes' on lesbians in South Africa. According to charity ActionAid, women in Johannesburg and Cape Town are suffering an increase in homophobic attacks and sexual assaults which are seen as a form of punishment or "cure".
