Jessica has been the editor of PinkNews.co.uk since 2009.
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13 March 2009Eleven gay discharges in US military in January 9 Eleven gay servicemembers were discharged from the US military in January under the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, including a human intelligence collector, a military police officer and four infantry personnel. -
13 March 2009Exclusive: Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman warns of rise of ‘homophobic’ BNP 42 PinkNews.co.uk exclusive Deputy Leader of the Labour Party and Minister for Equality, Harriet Harman has said that the expected low turn-out in the European elections may lead to the "pressing forward of the far right" with groups such as the BNP gaining seats in the European parliament. -
12 March 2009Research group to address training in LGBT issues for medical staff 1 A group of students from the Stanford University School of Medicine are working on increasing training for medical students on LGBT healthcare concerns. -
12 March 2009Family Guy provokes anger over gay orgy scene 27 Animated TV show Family Guy has come under fire from a parents' group over a recent episode that showed a gay orgy. In the episode, screened in the US on March 8th, storylines included a gay orgy featuring 11 men, a baby eating horse semen and bestiality. -
12 March 20092010 US census ‘will not include gays’ 6 The next US census, to be carried out next year, will not ask about sexual orientation or recognise gay marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships. If two men or two women who live together list themselves as husband and husband, or wife and wife, they will be counted as unmarried partners. -
12 March 2009Medical advice ‘puts lesbians at risk of cervical cancer’ 4 Research has suggested that government guidelines should be revised to ensure more lesbian women are screened for cervical cancer. Currently, NHS advice states that women who have never been sexually active with a man have a very low risk of the disease, suggesting these women may decline to attend cervical smear tests. -
12 March 2009Blood ban on gay men to be reviewed 13 A review of blood donation policy in the UK will be carried out following the publication of new research. The latest review, in January 2007, recommended that the policy of banning gay and bisexual men from donating blood should be continued. -
12 March 2009Lesbian student sues over prom tuxedo ban 11 A lesbian student in Indiana, US, has sued her school after she was banned from wearing a tuxedo at a prom. The 17-year-old, who has not been named, does not wear dresses because she sees them as expressing a sexual identity she does not embrace, court filings said. -
12 March 2009Ashton Kutcher speaks out about gay slurs 13 Ashton Kutcher has said using words such as 'fag' is as bad as calling people 'niggers'. The actor, who used Twitter to get his point across, was responding to another user who called him 'gay' for hurting his hand on a punchbag. -
11 March 2009Anti-gay laws in Nigeria ‘will lead to widespread human rights abuses’ 7 Nigerian activists have said that a new bill outlawing same-sex marriage will lead to increased arrests and abuse of anyone suspected to be gay. Gay sex is already an imprisonable offence in the country, but the new bill would make it illegal for gay couples to live together. -
11 March 2009San Francisco archbishop bans gay play from ‘inclusive’ church 20 Students in the Castro neighbourhood of San Francisco have been barred from staging a play that details a young man's struggle with his sexuality and his Christian faith. -
11 March 2009Elton John to speak on HIV/AIDS at biotechnology conference 1 Singer Elton John is to give a keynote speech at the Biotechnology Industry Organisation's annual conference, focusing on HIV/AIDS. The star will highlight how biotechnology has influenced prevention and treatment of the disease and discuss the outlook for challenges and solutions that lie ahead. -
11 March 2009Manx gender recognition bill moves forward + A bill to bring the Isle of Man in line with the rest of the UK on gender recognition has unanimously passed its first reading in the Legisative Council. The Gender Recognition bill is being enacted to conform to the latest European Court of Human Rights rulings and updates the law to the new identities of post-op trans people. -
11 March 2009Lesbian and gay singing event scheduled for London’s South Bank in May 2 Various Voices, a lesbian and gay choir and singing event, will be held in London at the South Bank Centre in May. Hosted by the London Gay Men’s Chorus, The Pink Singers and Diversity, the four-day festival will feature 60 choirs, 2,000 singers and 50 concerts. -
11 March 2009Update: Missing teenager caught on CCTV + More information has come through on teenager William Wright, who went missing after a night out with friends in Manchester's gay village at the weekend. William, 19, from Crick, Wales, was last seen by his friends at 4:20am on Saturday, March 7th outside the View bar on Canal Street. -
11 March 2009Islington registrar denied right to appeal over civil marriages ruling 31 The Islington registrar who refused to carry out civil partnerships has been denied leave to appeal against the latest ruling. Lillian Ladele, 48, from Finsbury, was threatened with the sack after she told Islington borough council she could not carry out the ceremonies due to her Christian beliefs. -
10 March 2009Iowa senator introduces gender-neutral civil marriage legislation 1 Openly gay Iowa state Senator Matt McCoy (Democrat) has introduced legislation that would make civil marriages in Iowa gender neutral. The bill would remove words such as 'husband' and 'wife' from the state's laws, replacing them with 'spouse'. -
10 March 2009Home and Away to introduce lesbian romance 9 Australian soap Home and Away is set to show a lesbian relationship. The storyline will see tough policewoman Charlie Buckton, played by actor Esther Anderson, falling in love with Joey Collins, played by Kate Bell, who works on a trawler. -
10 March 2009Homophobic bullying ‘rife’ in schools 12 A survey of UK teachers has found a "deeply alarming" amount of homophobia in schools. The report, released today by Stonewall, is the largest ever survey of both primary and secondary school teachers on the issue of homophobic bullying. -
10 March 2009Domestic violence proposals ‘must cover same-sex relationships’ 8 Domestic abuse campaigners have said that plans for a new consultation on the issue must take into account abuse in same-sex relationships. According to figures, one in four LGBT people will experience domestic violence or abuse.
