The Stonewall Inn, like most other gay bars during the 1960s, was frequently targeted by the police on the spurious grounds of checking for alcohol law violations and other transgressions.

What in many cases actually occurred was police intimidation and demands for payoffs, dubbed “gayola”, in return for not arresting or publishing the names of the patrons.

The Stonewall Inn, it must be said, did have its fair share of Mafia connections and questionable drinks policies. However, on the night of 27th, those breaches were eclipsed by the dramatic turn in events.

Instead of complying with the police, drinkers in the bar started to resist.

Shouts of “Gay Power” began to erupt in the street outside. Customers started throwing coins, bottles and other missiles at the police.

The lesbians and drag queens defied the intimidation, choosing to instead linger in the doorway, whipping up the crowd. Fires were started.

According to Craig Rodwell, quoted in an article by Lionel Wright, “A number of incidents were happening simultaneously. There was no one thing that happened or one person, there was just… a flash of group, of mass anger.”

As news of the fracas spread across the city, the group of angry demonstrators swelled, until the police were forced to take refuge in the empty bar.

“I had been in combat situations,” Detective Inspector Pine is quoted by Wright as saying. “But there was never any time that I felt more scared than then.”

The crowd, which was made up of all shades of the LGBT community, flocked to Christopher Street to take part in this revolutionary act of defiance.

Although the police, backed up the Tactical Patrol Force, tried several times to break up the crowd, they were outwitted by rioters who would simply disperse, regroup and attack from a different direction.

The violence in Greenwich continued for more than three nights, with members of the LGBT using the riots as an opportunity to distribute leaflets and information.

And so, it is argued, the Gay Liberation Movement was born.

The Gay Liberation Front in America was formed in the wake of the riots to protest against the social oppression of the LGBT community.

As Michael Adams, the Executive Director of Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders, said: “In the early days of the modern LGBT movement, the Gay Liberation Front was one of the most visible and vocal organisations promoting equality for the LGBT community.”

Similar movements were established in Canada, France, Britain, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Australia, and New Zealand.

So, why were the Stonewall Riots such a turning point? And why did they occur?

Many historians and journalists have pointed out that during the 1960s the whole social climate was changing. The Vietnam War had radicalised the American youth.

As young men went off to war many became involved in homosexual relationships, while back in the States there was, according to Wright, an “opening-up of U.S. Society” that could not quite be quashed.

The black civil rights movement was gaining ground, French students had gone on strike the year before, the Communist Party had campaigned for gay rights and returning servicepeople had stayed in port cities like Manhattan.

Craig Rodwell is quoted as saying: “There was a very volatile active political feeling, especially among young people … when the night of the Stonewall Riots came along, just everything came together at that one moment… There was no one thing special about it. It was just everything coming together, one of those moments in history that if you were there, you knew, this is it, this is what we’ve been waiting for.”

Forty years on from the Stonewall Riots, the global LGBT community still faces significant problems. In many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries homosexuality is still illegal; still, in theory, punishable by death.

In Western Europe and America, the campaign for full and equal marriage rights continues. Anti-gay bullying is still prevalent in schools and in workplaces and homophobia in all its manifestations is still being fought across the world.

And yet, for many, those dramatic riots in Greenwich forty years ago, hailed a new era in the fight for gay rights.

The riots, which have been cited as many as the touchpaper for the establishment of a gay rights movement in America, erupted when members of the New York Police Department enacted a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a popular hangout for gays, lesbians and trans people.

Speaking yesterday on a special edition of the Brian Lehrer Show on the American radio station WNYC-FM, Deputy Inspector Seymour Pine argued that police were called to the bar because of complaints about mafia connections, dirty drink glasses, and the violation of contemporary dress codes.

According to Advocate.com, Pine admitted that although the Stonewall Inn was unofficially known as the “gay headquarters” of the West Village, the sexuality of the patrons had little to do with the decision to raid the bar.

Pine, who was a former member of NYPD’s vice and gambling unit, said: “We never would have done something without supervision from the federal authorities and the state authorities. They were involved with this just as well as we were.”

“When we took the action that we took that night,” argued Pine, “we were on the side of right.”

“I don’t think not liking gay people had anything to do with it,” he added.

The show, Walking with Whitman, was produced by the independent radio production company Made in Manchester and will be presented by Stuart Maconie.

Whitman is often labelled as gay or bisexual by biographers, although it is not clear if he ever had a relationship with a man.

Maconie hails from Lancashire, the county known to Whitman as the home of the Bolton Whitmanites – a group of avid devotees who conducted an extraordinary relationship with the poet through letters and visits over five years until his death in 1892.

“The name Walt Whitman usually encourages thoughts of poetry, comradeship, equality – and America. But few people know about the long association he had with the northern English mill town of Bolton” said Andrew Edwards, the co-producer of the show, who presents BBC Radio Manchester’s only regular BBC LGBT programme ‘Gay Hour’.

“In Walking with Whitman,” explained Edwards, “Stuart Maconie heads to the Lancashire Moors to join Whitman fans who travel from all over the world every year on his birthday to recite and celebrate his unique work.”

Since launching four years ago, Made in Manchester has produced a rage of radio documentaries across a range of different genres, including an LGBT show called ‘How Aids Changed America’ for BBC Radio 2.

Walking with Whitman will air on BBC Radio 4 at 4.30pm on Sunday July 5th 2009.

The Sexual Orientation Regulations of 2007 made it illegal if “a person… discriminates against another… on grounds of the sexual orientation”.

Rather than comply with the new law and open applications to gay couples, the agency has opted to no longer organise adoptions.

The Roman Catholic organisation claimed that it could not reconcile church teaching on marriage and the anti-discrimination laws.

In 2003 the Vatican claimed that it was “gravely immoral” to place children with same-sex couples.

A spokesperson for the Catholic Children’s Society told the Daily Mail: “We do this with deep regret but have been forced into this position.”

The agency, which was founded in 1859, has however said that it will continue to offer adoption support for cases it has handled in recent years.

The former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe, who recently stood for election to become the Speaker of the House of Commons, described the Sexual Orientation Regulations as “ludicrous,” saying that the move by the Catholic Children’s Society, “is a sign of the Britain we are in. If you do not subscribe to the prevailing orthodoxy you might as well be living in the Soviet Union.”

All adoption agencies were given until January 2009 to comply with the Sexual Orientation Regulations.

This discreet rainbow bar, Google explains, is a way of celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans Pride month, as proclaimed by US President Barack Obama earlier this month.

Instead of being a universal Google graphic, the rainbow bar only appears when the user searches specific terms such as ‘gay’, ‘lesbian’ and ‘transgender’.

A Google spokesman told PinkNews.co.uk: “During the month of June, Google is celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride. For some Pride-related search queries, we are showing a rainbow divider that separates the search query on the top of the page from the organic search results and AdWords advertisements below.”

“We enjoy celebrating holidays and special events at Google,” he continued. “As you may imagine, it’s difficult for us to choose which events to celebrate on our site, and [we] have a long list of those we’d like to celebrate in the future.”

“We have to balance this rotating calendar with the need to maintain the consistency of the Google search results page. Some holidays and events that we haven’t celebrated in the past may be rotated into divider designs for future years,” he added.

Across internet forums, users have tried to find which searches bring up the graphic, with one user on webmasterworld.com reporting that they had even tried searching Broadway musicals.

A video posted by TMZ on Monday showed Hilton call Will.I.am a “f**king faggot” during a violent outburst outside the MuchMusic Video Awards. The use of the homophobic slur caused GLAAD to criticise the blogger, arguing that his “vulgar” comments could “feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community”.

In response, Hilton told TMZ on Tuesday he was “saddened GLAAD chose to victimise me further by criticising me for how I non-violently dealt with a very scary situation that, unfortunately, turned violent.”

“While I doubt I will get an apology from GLAAD, nor do I expect one,” Hilton went on, “I would just hope people know how difficult it is to intellectualise a situation and think rationally when a thug disguised as a musician is screaming at your face and intimidating you.”

However, Hilton, who has been accused of simply wanting “mad attention” by the Black Eyed Peas singer, later issued a statement apologising for any offence his comments might have caused to members of the gay community.

“Words can hurt,” he wrote. “I know that very well, from both sides of the fence. The other night in Toronto, after feeling physically threatened by a verbally abusive Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, I chose the most hurtful word I know to hurl at him. I was in an out-of-the ordinary situation and used a word that I would not utter under normal circumstances.”

“I wanted to hurt him with the word I chose, not anyone else,” continued Hilton. “Unfortunately, the one who got hurt was me and, subsequently, a lot of other people.”

Hilton, who has made a career out of satirising and criticising celebrities on his blog, went on to say that his treatment by the media has left him shocked and disturbed.

“Several television and radio shows over the past couple of days echoed the sentiment ‘He had it coming’,” Hilton wrote. “Would they have said the same thing if I was a woman? Would I have ‘deserved it’ if I had been stabbed?”

Will.I.am’s manager was charged for the assault on the night of the incident.

The funeral for the female impersonator was held at the Catholic Church of Transfiguration in London and was attended by a host of familiar faces.

La Rue, who was once described by Bob Hope as “the most glamorous woman in the world”, had a 60-year career in showbusiness, during which he met and befriended some of Britain’s best known entertainers.

Born Daniel Patrick Carroll in Ireland, La Rue was the first female impersonator to perform at the Royal Variety Performance and was described by Noel Coward as “the most utterly charming man in the business.”

At the funeral, Barbara Windsor read out a poem written for La Rue on his 50th birthday by his long term partner Jack Hanson, who died in 1984, which included the line “I give you all my thanks and all my deepest love.”

Floral tributes were sent from stars who could not make the service, including Judi Dench and Paul O’Grady.

The anti-bullying laws will state that a child should not be discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of their real or perceived sexual orientation. The bill also makes reference to bullying on several other grounds, including race, religious views and disabilities.

The bill to discuss the inclusion of a category referring to sexuality was carried by 59 to 57 votes in a preliminary vote, with three Democrats voting against the motion and one Republican voting in favour of it.

The debate included testimonials, descriptions of discrimination and warnings about the dangers of bullying, including suicide.

Opposition to the bill claimed that the largely Democratic group who proposed the motion were wrong to focus on the protection of a minority instead of legislating to protect all children in the state. Dale Folwell, a Winston-Salem Republican representative, was quoted in the News and Observer as saying: “The people of North Carolina are being bullied on this floor tonight.”

However, Grier Martin, a Raleigh Democrat representative argued back: “To oppose this bill because you object to one of those categories is to fight the culture wars on the back of a child.”

According to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network, only seven other US states with bullying laws in place include specific protection for gay students: California, Iowa, Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state.

The bill requires all districts to establish an anti-bullying policy and for any instances of bullying to be reported and acted upon.

In an article for the Times, published today, he wrote: “For me, coming out made me unburdened and more self-confident.

“It made me a better actor. It opened me up emotionally. It’s amazing that it’s an experience that people who you’ll never meet, in places in the world you’ll never go to, can relate to. It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

McKellen didn’t publicly come out until 1988 when he was 49 years old. The date is telling – 1988 was the year that Section 28 was passed as an amendment of the Local Government Act. The amendment stated that schools and local authorities were not to “promote homosexuality” or teach “the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship”. This legislation, McKellen said, was the catalyst to him announcing his sexuality in public.

“That’s when I made the connection between the personal and the political,” McKellen explained. “Section 28 made gay people second class and it felt right to stand up and say so, to say: ‘I’m not ashamed’.”

“I feel the same way today,” the actor added. “Come out, it’s got to be done.”

McKellen has been working as a stage and screen actor since his graduation from Cambridge in 1961. Although probably best known for recent film roles including Gandalf in Lord of the Rings and Magneto in the X-Men films, he has also had a long-running career as a gay rights activist. He is a founding member of Stonewall and gives talks in “faith, comprehensive and private” schools about gay rights.

“I didn’t think of myself as the leader of anything,” McKellen wrote. “I accepted the knighthood [in 1991] because I knew that it would help to get doors open. I never felt that being known as gay, or campaigning for gay rights, was limiting.”

In his article, he urged other high profile figures to come out: “I wish that a major sportsman or woman would come out, that would make a huge difference. We need more role models in the public eye, and I know that some of those people are fearful about how people would perceive them if they came out.”

McKellen, who lived with the theatre director Sean Mathias for eight years, is a strong proponent of full and equal gay marriage. “I think there should be full equality, full marriage rather than partnership rights,” wrote McKellen. “It’s only a matter of time, and the Church and whoever objects should just stop worrying about it. It’s not the end of civilisation.”

“Everyone should feel that they have the right and opportunity to live openly,” he concluded. 

The change comes in response to an amendment to the Code of Federal Regulations in February 2008.

The State Department’s announcement will allow same-sex couples to get passports using the state-recognised married names they obtained in a civil union ceremony.

Critics of this move have argued that it undermines the Defence of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of any same-sex partnerships.

“It’s an exercise that the current administration is using to try to nibble away at the Defence of Marriage Act,” Kris Mineau, president of the Massachusetts Family Institute told Associated Press.

“There’s no doubt that President Obama has made a strong commitment to repeal the DOMA … and it will take an act of Congress to do so,” Mineau said. “He cannot circumvent the law, but he attempts to do so not head-on, but in an oblique approach.”

However, for gay couples travelling abroad the news is extremely welcome. Keith Toney, a gay man from Massachusetts, said that on previous trips to Costa Rica he had felt “degraded” by questions about the name on his passport, and that showing a passport in his unmarried name seemed “fraudulent”.

In a separate move, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has started proceedings to allow domestic partners to hold diplomatic passports, to give gay couples government-paid travel to and from foreign posts, the use of US medical facilities abroad, eligibility for US government emergency evacuations, and training at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.

Obama signed a memorandum last week to extend federal benefits for partners to same-sex couples but critics have said the move will not be permanent, probably won’t include healthcare and will not be applied to those serving in the military.

In Britain, the Identity and Passport Service “will accept civil partnership certificates as documentary evidence of a change of name”, allowing same sex couples to use their married name in their passports. 

Turing, who hid his homosexuality for much of his life, is probably best known for his contribution to breaking German codes at Bletchley Park during the Second World War.

Fellow codebreaker Jack Good said of him: ‘I won’t say that what Turing did made us win the war but I daresay we might have lost it without him.’

During Turing’s lifetime being gay was still illegal and officially considered a mental illness. For this reason Turing was forced to keep his homosexuality a secret, until he was publicly outed in 1952.

Turing was charged with gross indecency under the Criminal Law Amendment Act (the same crime which saw Oscar Wilde imprisoned in 1895) in 1952. The mathematician was punished with chemical castration, through oestrogen injections aimed at lowering his libido. The ‘treatment’ lasted for a year and Turing was found dead in 1954, just one year later.

Speculations over the cause of death abound. The coroner in the case recorded it as suicide, as Turing had died of cyanide poisoning. However, members of his family claimed that the poisoning could have been due to a accidental mixing of chemicals during an amateur experiment.

As well as his work with Hut 8 in breaking the German Enigma machine, Turing was also a pioneer in the field of algorithms, which formed the basis of modern computing.

The Pilot Ace or Automatic Computing Engine, which was recently named one of The Science Museum’s ‘Century Icons’, was the earliest postwar attempt to create an electronic computer in Britain that built upon Turing ‘s ‘Universal Turing Machine’.

The Turing Machine was an early example of the computer model, with specific ‘inputs’ or algorithms being processed to produce a specific ‘output’. The concept was expanded with the Universal Turing Machine, which was a theoretical machine also designed by Turing, which could carry out any task, as long as each formula or algorithm was presented as a series of instructions.

The petition, at ldsapology.org, states: “We the undersigned, in the spirit of love and peace, earnestly seek to create a climate for reconciliation between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and gays and lesbians who have been affected by the policies, practices and politics of the Church.”

As well as the petition, the website also includes personal testimonies from those who “have experienced the pain that comes from endeavoring to change their sexual orientation in order to comply with the church teachings and policy”. The site also hosts a pamphlet on theology and homosexuality and a list of gay Mormons who have committed suicide.

Those who have signed the petition have asked for the Mormon church and the LGB community to “strive for open hearts and minds so that we might live together in peace and mutual respect,” adding: “It is long past time for those on both sides to begin treating one another with greater dignity, respect and understanding.”

The Mormon church considers marriage to be a sacred institution and homosexuality to be a ‘sin’ against God.

In an email to Associated Press, Janeen Thompson, one of the site organisers, said that the petition is a direct reaction to Mormon involvement with the coalition to pass Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage in California in 2008.

At the time of writing, the petition had been signed by 491 people. Organisers plan to present the petition to the Church’s headquarters in Salt Lake City on November 4th, which is the anniversary of the Propostition 8 vote.

Cheryl Nunn, who owns the site domain, said: “Most likely that may not happen, but any reduction in aggressive Mormon Church fund raising, sermons to campaign and block vote or to promote anti-gay legislation, would mean the petition message had been heard.”

According to a video posted on Hilton’s website, the blogger called Will.i.am, a member of The Black Eyed Peas, a “faggot” and a “thug” after he was allegedly assaulted by the singer’s manager outside the MuchMusic Video Awards.

A TMZ video appeared to show Hilton shout “you’re not a f**king artist… you’re a f**king faggot” at the singer during an altercation with Will.I.am’s manager Polo Molina. A fight then apparently broke out.

The initial story broke as Hilton, real name Mario Lavandeira, wrote on his Twitter: “I was assaulted by Will.I.Am of the Black Eyed Peas and his security guards. I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.”

Toronto police confirmed that Hilton made an assault accusation. Molina has reportedly been charged with the assault.

However, Will.i.am responded to the story by releasing his own video in which he said the accusations were ‘lies’ and accused Hilton of simply wanting “mad attention”.

In a later video Hilton explained: “I made the split-second decision, that I was gonna say what I thought was the worst possible thing that thug [Will.i.am] would ever want to hear, which was a handful of assorted F-bombs.”

In a statement, GLAAD senior director of media programmes, Rashad Robinson, said: “These are vulgar anti-gay slurs that feed a climate of hatred and intolerance toward our community. For someone in our own community to use it to attack another person by saying that it is, quote, ‘The worst possible thing that thug would ever want to hear,’ is incredibly dangerous.

“It legitimises use of a slur that is often linked to violence against our community. And it sends a message that it is OK to attempt to dehumanise people by exploiting anti-gay attitudes.”

Scroll down to see the TMZ video of the incident.

The couple adopted each other’s daughters while living in Washington, where the practice is legally recognised, UPI reports.

Four years after Ryan gave birth to her daughter (who was adopted by Embry a few months after the birth) the couple moved to Florida and separated .

Although the two women initially held custody and visiting rights, by 2007 the relationship between them had deteriorated to the point where Ryan refused to allow Embry any contact with her adopted daughter.

Embry has fought for visitation rights as an adoptive parent but Ryan, who is now engaged to a man, has challenged this right.

Florida is the only US state with a blanket ban on gay adoption, so the case of Ryan and Embry has centered around whether the state must recognise the adoption laws of other states, such as Washington.

Last month, Florida’s Second District Court of Appeal reversed a trial court’s decision, giving Embry the same rights as any adoptive parent, with one judge writing: “Ms Embry’s same-sex relationship with Ms Ryan is irrelevant for the purpose of enforcing her rights and obligations as an adoptive parent.”

However, Ryan has said that she will appeal the decision to the Florida Supreme Court.

The case has divided opinion across the state. “It’s direct conflict with its own laws,” said Liberty Counsel founder Mathew Staver, who is representing Ryan in the trial. “My concern is it would create a back-door way around Florida’s law. … That’s not good for Florida’s children.”

However, Sharon Rush, a law professor from the University of Florida, argued: “The fact that Florida has to acknowledge the adoption doesn’t mean people have to interpret that as Florida approves it.” Rush went on: “It is just a sign that another part of the country has moved in that direction.”

Prince Manvendrasinh Gohil, who is from Rajpipla in Gujarat, was the only Indian person to have been formally invited to this year’s event.

“Every person present in the crowd was cheering for India the moment they saw me. It was a very special moment for me. People there are curious to know more about India,” said Gohil.

The Sao Paulo Pride was held from June 10th -14th and attracted over three million people.

“It was unbelievable to see such a huge gathering,” Gohil told the Indian newspaper DNA. “And the parade was not the only thing. I inaugurated an office, an art exhibition and even released a book on homosexuality authored by the mother of a gay son. I was even made to dance with Samba dancers. The experience was terrific.”

The 43-year-old prince was denounced in 2006 after publicly announcing his sexuality. Consequently, all his rights as the son and heir to the Rajpipla fortune have been revoked.

Homosexuality is still, according to the Indian Penal Code, considered a criminal offence and can carry a life sentence.

“I will study the norms that helped in making homosexuality legal in Brazil. I will try to incorporate them in our efforts to make homosexuality legal in India,” said the prince on his return to India.

The reason for this slightly unexpected description was a story involving Quest that broke last April.

He was found in Central Park at 3.40 am with drugs in his pocket, a rope around his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a sex toy in his car boot.

“What can one say?” the former Leeds University student told the Guardian in an interview published today. “It was what it was.”

Quest, who worked for 16 years at the BBC before starting an eight-year career at the American news network CNN, may have been expected to disappear after news broke that he’d been found in possession of methamphetamine in such questionable circumstances.

However, he is in fact in the process of publicising his new show – Quest Means Business, which CNN describe as “the definitive word on how we earn and spend our money”. Quite a turnaround.

The British business and finance journalist told the newspaper: “Everyone wants to know the inside story of the event last year and I’m saying quite clearly that those that will know the inside story will be my close family and no one else. That’s not because I’m hiding anything. I’m just not about to reveal or discuss my innermost thoughts. All I would say on the subject, besides the standard line that it was a highly regrettable incident, is that nothing is as it seems – and certainly not the way it was reported at the time.”

This “regrettable incident” was defended by Quest’s lawyer, Alan Abramson, as being much less controversial than the facts may suggest. “Mr Quest didn’t realise that the park had a curfew,” he argued. The lawyer went on to claim that Quest was merely “returning to his hotel with friends”.

At the trial, Quest was ordered by State Court Judge Anthony Ferrara to go in to rehab and to undergo drug counselling for six months.

“It was a fairly awful and dreadful time,” Quest said. “I got myself into a very nasty situation. I don’t blame anyone else for what took place. But I got back from that position because of other people. That I’ve yanked myself back is not so much a testimony to what I can do, but more a testimony to what other people can do when supporting people. And that’s what I take from it.”

Quest Means Business, is shows on CNN at 7pm from Monday to Friday.

The synagogue plans to be the first of its kind in the county to offer the ceremonies after the Conservative Movement’s Committee of Jewish Law and Standards voted in 2006 to give rabbis the freedom to conduct them.

“Even though Florida does not recognise gay marriage, I feel that gay people are entitled,” Rabbi Mark David of Temple Sholom told the Sun Sentinel. “People fall in love and they should be able to express that love in a public setting.”

In his previous synagogue, David had been unable to conduct the ceremonies. “It hurt me so much to my very core that I could not help these people,” he said. “I believe religion should bring people together.”

The Congregation Etz Chaim in South Florida also offers commitment ceremonies to gay couples and has done for several years.

According to the Congregation Etz Chaim website, these ceremonies are part of their attempt to “provide a nurturing environment for gay and lesbian Jews, inclusive of bisexual, transgender and heterosexual [people] in South Florida.”

However, the Temple of Sholom is the first Conservative Movement synagogue to offer the ceremonies in South Florida.

While couples who have a ‘Covenant of Love’ ceremony will not receive a Jewish marriage certificate, they will exchange rings, recite vows and break a glass to symbolise the fragility of love.

David hopes that the adverts will attract straight couples who don’t want to have a traditional wedding, as well as gay couples.

The kiss scene, which we reported on in May, was part of an ongoing storyline concerning a Muslim character, Syed Masood, and his struggle with his sexuality.

Friday’s episode saw Syed, played by Marc Elliot, kiss EastEnders’ only openly gay character, Christian Clarke (John Partridge).

The proposed storyline had attracted criticism, with Asghar Bokhari of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee arguing that Eastenders should have presented a “normal” Muslim character instead of a gay man.

However, Diederick Santer, the EastEnders executive producer, defended it by saying the soap should tell “stories relevant to our diverse audience”.

Last year, the BBC received more than 150 complaints over a gay kiss shown in Eastenders, between the characters Christian Clarke and Lee Thompson. Many of these complaints focused on the fact that the kiss was screened before the 9pm watershed.

According to viewing figures, the EastEnders ratings peaked at 7.9 milllion during the last 15 minutes of the episode, when the gay kiss was shown.

The man on trial, Ferdinand Ambach, is accused of beating Ronald James Brown around the head with a 2.7kg banjo, before shoving the neck repeatedly down his throat.

Brown died in hospital three days later after the attack in December 2007 when his life support machine was turned off.

Ambach has denied the charges and claims to be able to only remember parts of what happened that night.

The prosecutor for the case, Nick Williams, told the jury that a “misunderstanding” had erupted between the two men, when they went back to Brown’s house after meeting in a bar in the Onehunga district of Auckland. The misunderstanding appeared to be Brown’s incorrect assumption that Ambach was gay.

According to Williams, neighbours called the police after hearing violent disturbances in Brown’s flat. When the police arrived they found Brown severely injured and bleeding profusely, while Ambach, who was swearing loudly in Hungarian, threw furniture, including a double bed, through an upstairs window.

Ambach’s defence lawyer, Peter Kaye, said that the jury must consider the possibility that the Hungarian man suffered a “sudden and temporary loss of self control”, which would make the case one of manslaughter, rather than murder.

The trial is due to sit for three weeks.

Davies, who had worked for Islington Council for 18 years, said she had asked to opt out of performing civil partnerships in 2006.

While her request was being considered, Davies took four months off work due to stress. On her return she was told that she would either be demoted or dismissed.

Instead of leaving the council, Davies chose to take on the offered position of receptionist, which she described as “humiliating”.

Last July, she was put back on the general rota. However, in January this year she failed to turn up to a ceremony she was supposed to be overseeing. Consequently, she was told that unless she presided over civil partnerships she would be demoted from her position.

“I know of other councils that have allowed Christian registrars to carry on by ensuring that colleagues are given civil partnerships,” said Davies. “But I was told this was not Islington’s policy.”

With the help of the Christian Legal Centre, Miss Davies will launch a grievance procedure against the council, on the grounds that she was a victim of discrimination because of her religious beliefs.

Davies has also presented her case in a letter to the House of Lords, in an attempt to challenge what she describes as the “militant political-sexual libertarian lobby” at Islington Council.

Davies’ friend and colleague, Lillian Ladele, launched a similar case against the council last summer. However, an Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled in December that Islington Council had acted lawfully in expecting all its registration staff to perform civil partnership ceremonies.

“Britain is supposed to be a nation that respects freedom of conscience,” Davies told the Mail on Sunday. “But my conscience is not being respected. If Islington Council believes in dignity for all, why can’t my beliefs be accommodated and why is my dignity not being respected?”

Davies has likened presiding over civil partnership ceremonies to doctors performing abortions, arguing that the same leniency on religious grounds should apply.

An Islington Council spokesman told the Mail: “Following detailed discussions with Miss Davies, a year ago she accepted another job in the same team that did not require her to conduct civil partnerships or marriages.

“Miss Davies made no formal response to a recent consultation on a restructure in the registrars’ department, and we have no reason to think she was unhappy with her role.”

Islington council argues that it expects employees to provide services to all sections of the community.