The campaign was launched by the Hep C trust to coincide with ‘World Hepatitis Awareness Day’ on October 1st.

The ‘what not to share’ campaign encourages people to educate themselves on the dangers of Hep C and get themselves tested.

Fiction on Friday night and DTPM on Sunday raised over £500 for the campaign.

Tammie Freeman, manager of fiction and director of the company behind both fiction and DTPM said: ”Bluecube feels it is important to raise awareness of hepatitis c and how easily it can be spread.

”Friday fiction was a great night with a real positive reaction to the charity collection, everybody was very supportive so a huge thanks to fiction and fellow DTPM clubbers.”

500,000 people in the UK are thought to be living with the disease, 10 times more than those living with HIV. Whilst 200 million people worldwide are infected with hepatitis C.

The Hepatitis C Trust estimate that nine out of ten people infected with hepatitis C don’t even know that they are infected with the disease.

Unlike hepatitis A and B, there is currently no vaccine for Hepatitis C.

The disease is transmitted via blood to blood contact including sexual transmission, tattooing, sharing cocaine straws or notes, even sharing an infected person’s razor or toothbrush.

In addition to support from a whole host of club nights the campaign will also see posters delivered throughout universities, radio and music press publicity and a new website launched (www.whatnottoshare.com)

Unfortunately for Mitja Blazic and Niki Kern the partnership hasn’t got off to a great start after the couple branded the ceremony “humiliating” and ”awful”.

The accusation is in response to the Slovenian clause in the civil partnership law which prohibits couples from having friends and family present. Only the couple and the registrant can be present.

In July Slovenia’s Parliament passed legislation allowing same-sex ceremonies.

The law allows gay and lesbian couples to register their unions and give partners access to each others’ pensions and property.

Mr Blazic and Mr Kern signed their vows at a municipal registration office in a state building, yet emerged to tell waiting reporters that the ceremony was cold and without feeling.

“It looked more like a car registration, not a wedding ceremony,” Blazic told Serbia’s FoNet news agency,.

The ‘no guest’ clause has attracted wide criticism for being discriminatory when compared to heterosexual marriages.

The less than perfect law makes Slovenia the second former Soviet satellite state to establish civil unions. The Czech Republic’s civil partnership law went into effect in July.

Croydon Police are warning gay men to be extra vigilant after it emerged the attackers lure their victims into a false sense of security by engaging in sexual acts and then threatening men at knifepoint.

The promiscuous robbers have been known to take phones and men’s cars.

However police fear the exact numbers and scale of the problem is unknown as many victims are too embarrassed or scared to report the crime.

Croydon’s (LGBT) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender liaison officer PC Jeff Wade told the Croydon Guardian he believed there were more victims than the police were aware of.

“It’s an ongoing thing. I hear of this happening all the time but people are very reluctant to report it. Because they have been intimate with the suspects, the victims have been at their most vulnerable.”

PC Wade continued, “We had one man come to us to say he’d been liasing with a chap on Shirley Hills when the guy in question jumped into the victim’s car and said, give me a lift.

“Reluctantly he did and the next thing he knew a knife was pulled out and the guy tried to steal his car.”

PC Wade believes there is a high possibility that these crimes continue to occur due to the suspect knowing very few of his victims will report the offence.

The warning appeared on Croydon’s LGBT police consultation website ‘Aurora’ saying: “There have been similar events in other cruising grounds where someone robs or assaults a cruiser after having had sex.

“This gives them the advantage of gaining the confidence of the victim.”

PC Wade is appealing for greater LGBT involvement with the police, urging gay men to trust the police and report hate crime.

To report a hate crime, contact the community safety unit at Croydon on 020 8649 1265. LGBT officers can also be contacted on 020 8649 0213/07733122408

This decision violates article 13 of the Amsterdam treaty, which explicitly forbids the discrimination of sexual minorities in the European Union.

The homophobic rejection comes in relation to a European Union (EU) scheme, which the Polish LGBT group had applied.

The European Youth programme is run by the European Commission and designed to facilitate cooperation across Europe between youth aged 18-25.

The youth programme is designed to be equally opened for all, but this Polish example shows this is certainly not the case.

The Polish campaign against homophobia had applied for the European Voluntary Service (EVS) which gives a young person the chance to spend up to 12 months in another country working as a volunteer.

Decisions are made by national agencies which are in every member state of the EU. This means that decisions are made locally, they should however be in accordance with the general programme guidelines.

The Polish National Agency rejected the campaign against homophobia application stating: ”the campaign is against the policy of raising children and youth, which is implemented by the Ministry. The policy of Ministry does not support actions that aim to propagate homosexual behaviour and such attitude among young people.”

The policy of the Polish ministry ”is not to support cooperation of homosexuals organisations.”

Homophobia in Poland will no doubt surprise few, yet this is the first time the Ministry has openly declared its homophobia, stating that they refuse in principle to support LGBT organisations.

This overt homophobia contradicts Poland’s supposed ‘official’ attitude against homosexuals. Prime-Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski on a trip to Brussels told the European Commission: “(Do) not to believe in the myth of Poland as an anti-Semitic, homophobic and xenophobic country… People with such preferences have full rights in Poland, there is no tradition in Poland of persecuting such people.”

The London based digital radio station beat off stiff competition from last year’s winner BBC 6 Music, Ministry of Sound, Pulse Rated and Yahoo’s LAUNCHcast to take top prize at the awards ceremony before an audience of more than 1,000 guests and music artistes.

The BT Digital Music Awards 2006 are designed to recognise the success of UK music companies, artists and radio stations who use digital platforms to reach out to music fans. Nominees for best radio station were selected by professional judging panels before being put to a public vote.

The award was open to all UK digital radio stations and was judged on quality of output, quality of service and the effective use of the digital platform to engage audiences. It was presented by Edith Bowman.

Jamie Crick, programme consultant to GaydarRadio said: “This award reflects the support we have from all of our listeners. It also recognises the hard work of our presentation and production team over the past four years since we launched.

“We now have 16 hours a day of original live programming and we are proud to be the radio station of choice for the gay and lesbian community.”

In the summer, GaydarRadio also received a nominated for the CRCA Arqiva Commercial Digital Radio Station of the Year Award.

PinkNews.co.uk supplies news content to the GaydarRadio website, news editor for PinkNews.co.uk Marc Shoffman praised the station, “It is great to see a gay media outlet winning a mainstream award, it shows the valuable input the gay and lesbian community has in wider society.”

The awards ceremony will be broadcast by Channel 4 on October 21.

Indonesian local authorities have been granted the right to use Islamic law, the result being a strict conservative attitude to homosexuality often leading to the prosecution of gays, despite a federal constitution supposed to protect LGBT civil rights.

Several local governments have passed laws making homosexuality illegal.

Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world.

An anti-prostitution law passed in 2004 in the region of Palembang on Sumatra outlaws gay men and lesbians and includes homosexuality in its definition of prostitution.

Indonesian LGBT rights group Arus Pelangi claim these local laws violate their human and constitutional rights. The group has appealed to the federal ministry of Justice and Human Rights to force the regions to comply with national law.

‘Such ordinances are politically charged to please the majority,’ Rido Triawan, director of Arus Pelangi, told ministry officials during a meeting Monday.

Mr Triawan describing how gays are frequently beaten on the streets.

A government spokesperson said the they are seeking advice but added where Sharia law is present the central government has little control.

Wahiduddin Adams, who is in charge of facilitating the drafting of regional bylaws, admitts that the central Jakarta government is finding it difficult to stop discriminatory ordinances.

Jakarta has so far refrained from interfering in local governance for fear of being seen as subverting the new local autonomy.

The campaign sees amnesty members from around the world joining forces with the lesbian and gay legislative advocacy network Philippines (LAGABLAB-Pilipinas).

The legislation currently being considered by the Philippine congress if passed would see an amendment to the Philippines constitution prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Michael Heflin, director of OUTfront, the Amnesty International USA (AIUSA) programme on LGBT human rights said: “Adoption of this law is very significant for the entire region because only one other Asian country – Fiji – currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.”

Mr Heflin has urged the Philippine government to become a global leader, demonstrating to its citizens and to the world its commitment to protecting human rights.

Gay Philippines encounter wide discrimination within schools, employment, public establishments and their own families.

Amnesty reveal that “masculinity tests” or other arbitrary tests have been used to separate possible LGBT students during the admissions process to some schools.

If passed the legislation would make it illegal to deny access to public service (including military service), include sexual orientation and gender identity in the criteria for hiring, promotion and dismissal of workers, refuse admission or expel a person from educational institutions and deny a person access to medical and other health services.

The sexual orientation acknowledgment was part of a Mercosur meeting held in Brasilia at the end of August.

Mercosur is a customs union between 10 South American countries with representatives from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela and Chile all present at the meting.

The Brazilian Government further proposed the holding of a Mercosur seminar to debate the legal situation in each country on sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Spanish version of the “Brazil without Homophobia” Programme was also launched at the meeting.

The Minister for Human Rights, Paulo Vannuchi, who chaired the entire event, stressed the importance of the Brazil Without Homophobia Programme and the commitment of the Brazilian State to this matter.

In order to overcome the present situation of human rights violations, Vannuchi defended that a change in political culture must be promoted.

Claudio Nascimento, representing the National Council for the Combat of Discrimination at the meeting, stressed the believe that the Brazil Without Homophobia programme can be reproduced throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Last week the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to prosecute the GPA following their advert which linked religious belief to homophobic incidents.

Evangelical Christian George Hargreaves claims to be in the process of initiating a private prosecution several officers in the GPA in their personal capacities.

The advert, which everyone appears to have an opinion on, was displayed earlier this summer in the Independent at the time of London Europride.

The advert pictured a bible next to a pool of blood with the text:

“In the last twelve months, The Gay Police Association has recorded a 75% increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious beliefs of the perpetrator.”

Mr Hargreaves will be present as a panellist alongside a representative from the GPA, Ted Brown of Black Gays Lesbians Against Media Homophobia and Savi Hensman of the Lesbian Gay Christian Movement, in what guarantees to be a ‘lively’ debate.

Panellists are due to consider the rise of religiously-motivated homophobia and the increasing clash between religion and gay rights.

The debate is being held on Friday 13th October 2006, at The library, Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL. Starting at 7:30p.m.

The fact that bishop Finlay officiated the marriage comes as a particular surprise as it was he who dismissed a priest back in the 1992 for having a homosexual relationship.

The change in opinion comes after Rev Jim Ferry was sacked and banned from functioning as a priest anywhere in the Anglican communion by bishop Finlay.

Finlay said the Church was very different back then, and he had reached a new understanding of homosexuality.

One of the lesbians has known Finlay since she was a child, her father having been Finlay’s theology professor.

The revoking of Archbishop Finlay’s licence by the New Westminster Diocese in the Canadian Church has contributed to the crisis facing the worldwide Anglican Church.

The church is currently struggling to develop consensus and unite opinion over same sex marriage and gay clergy.

In 2003 openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson was elected in New Hampshire, amidst protest from traditionalist church leaders.

Next month will see Rev Katharine Schori, a pro-gay liberal, consecrated in the National Cathedral in Washington.

Rev Schori will be the first woman to sit alongside the other 38 primates of the Anglican Church when they meet in Tanzania, February 2007.

Gay men who have been celibate for over six months will be allowed to donate, reports the South African Independent online.

The South African National Blood Service (SANBS) spokesman Dr Sam Gulube said:

“We will be able to start with these new forms and questionnaires on November 1.”

The decision comes as a result of a number of changes designed to create a more streamlined questionnaire, said SANBS.

In January this year the blood donation service announced its intention to change the questionnaire as to make blood donor forms more gender sensitive and gay friendly.

The partial change in policy follows comes three months after an investigation in Australia ruled that the Australian Red Cross Blood Service should be made to justify its ban on gay donations before the State’s Anti-Discrimination Tribunal.

All across the world including Britain, gay men are banned from giving blood after being identified as a HIV/AIDS high risk group.

The L.A Gay and Lesbian Center has launched an extensive campaign to provoke debate within the gay community. The controversial advert hopes to highlight what they see as a vast complacency within the gay community surrounding the issue of HIV/AIDS.

The campaign includes huge billboards erected across the city as well as magazine ads and posters in West Hollywood.

The groups statement is a complete transition from years of campaigning against the stereotypical view that homosexual men are promiscuous, unsafe and most likely to become infected.

It has been argued that the campaign, whilst achieving its desired shock value will further stigmatise those gay men living with the disease.

Michael Weinstein, head of Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, denied that AIDS was a “gay” disease. “It is a disease of the immune system,” he told the L.A Times .

Despite the controversy, the group insist that their campaign is supported by fact. L.A public health officials note three out of four HIV cases are the result of gay sex.

In Los Angeles, gay and bisexual men make up less than 7% of the population yet account for more than 75% of those living with HIV and AIDS.

Chief Executive Officer of L.A. Gay Lesbian Centre Lorri L. Jean said on the group website that ”we have so effectively de-coupled the epidemic from the word “gay” that most of us don’t even know the degree to which we are impacted.”

In a more light hearted manner, the groups website acknowledges that diseases cannot have sexual orientation, but insists the level to which gay men bear the brunt of the disease is enough to label the disease ‘gay’.

”Of course, gay and bisexual men are not the only people who get infected. Other historically marginalised populations are also being hit hard by the disease. But it is indisputable that in Los Angeles HIV has a hugely disproportionate affect upon gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities.”

The group insist they are simply being honest about the facts of HIV/AIDS in Los Angeles, and that there is absolutely no attributions of blame in the campaign.

PC Carter who lives in Bradford but works in Huddersfield beat 25 other regional winners to claim a years work of personal appearances, photo shoots and £5,000 worth of prizes.

The Mr Gay UK final took place last Friday at Blackpool’s Flamingo club. The event was judged by Big Brothers Lea and Dickie, Anita Dobson and Rowetta.

PC Carter’s entry to the competition received the full backing of West Yorkshire police and 50 of his colleagues were at the event to cheer him on.

“I am absolutely 100 per cent over the moon. Two years ago I used to cry myself to sleep at night, I was so daunted by the prospect of coming out, but when I did, it was the best thing ever. I was so happy I could finally be myself,” said Carter.

He continued: “I thought telling people I was gay would mean no-one would want to know me, but at the Mr Gay UK final I had more people together, supporting me, in one place than I’ve ever had in my life.”

Mr Gay UK organiser Terry George said: “Mark is a great example of a young gay man achieving his goals in life. If anyone assumed it was just bimbos that entered competitions like this, Mark’s proving them wrong.”

Sailor Sam Connell from Plymouth came runner up, whilst town planner Luke Perkins a town planner from Brighton was third.

The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand ‘s top decision-making body reaffirmed its 2004 rule that those involved in sexual relations outside of marriage cannot become ministers or elders.

After vigorous debate, the motion that ‘the church may not accept for training, license, ordain or induct anyone involved in a sexual relationship outside of faithful marriage between a man and a woman’ was carried by 230 votes to 124 (65 percent in favour).

The rule does not apply to any church member licensed, ordained or inducted as a minister prior to 2004.

The rule is not a disciplinary standard and cannot be used to remove a person already holding office.

2006 national census figures reveal 11% of New Zealand’s 4 million population identity as Presbyterian making the church the third-largest in New Zealand.

“We recognise the pain that this decision will cause some in our church.” said Reverend Pamela Tankersley, moderator of the General Assembly.

New Zealand national radio reported how some delegates left the assembly distressed and in tears after the outcome was announced.

Rev Tankersley said the issue had been addressed by the church over many years and “we can be satisfied that this decision was reached after thorough and prayerful discussion.”

Lesbian minister Margaret Mayman said the church had lost the opportunity to express the love of Christ to all members of its community.

“We’re obviously bitterly disappointed … very sad for our church, that it has responded in fear to a change in the patterning (of relationships) across the world,” reports The International Herald Tribute.

She warned that the rule may be broken by more progressive parishes who “will flout the law and choose their leaders for their commitment to the gospel rather than for their sexual orientation.

Writing in this month’s issue of The Advocate Judy Shepard, mother of murdered gay hate victim Matthew Shepard, , called the low levels of LGBT voting ”totally unacceptable”.

”I’m both amazed and appalled. I find it hard to believe there is such widespread apathy when the primary political tactic utilised throughout the nation in the most recent election was the targeting of the LGBT community by tapping into homophobic fears”, she said.

If Matthew was alive today he would ”beg you to let your voice be heard and to use your precious right to vote.”

Mrs Shepard heartbreakingly said: ”It will forever break my heart when I think of my son tied to a split-rail fence, beaten and left for dead on the Wyoming prairie, with no one to hear his voice or his cries for help”.

”But what gives me comfort is the knowledge that his dreams and hopes for a better and safer world continue to live on through the work done by the Matthew Shepard Foundation and by people exercising their right to vote.”

Matthew Shepard was just 21 when he was murdered on the night of October 7th 1998 in a gay hate crime that shocked the world. Russell Henderson and Aaron McKinney are currently serving life sentences for the murder.

PinkNews.co.uk comment

With such widespread persecution of LGBT people cross the globe who are routinely denied the voice they so desperately want and need, there really is no excuse for LGBT voter apathy.

Journalist George Tsikhiseli and his boyfriend Stephan Varnier, were told by a stewardess just after departure to stop their ”inappropriate behaviour.”

The couple insist however that absolutely no inappropriate behaviour took place. Saying they swapped turns in resting heads on each others shoulders and had an occasional kiss.

”We’d kiss-not kiss kiss, just mwah,” said Tsikhiseli. Their story being backed up by fellow passengers.

Following the request, the couple addressed the head stewardess on board and then the captain.

At first she agreed that no inappropriate behaviour had took place, yet an hour later she had changed her mind citing that customers were complaining.

The gay couple asked which customers as to offer an apology but were refused an answer. When the couple asked for the stewardesses’ name and details and if an American Airline representative could meet them at JFK airport, they were again refused with no explanation.

When the couple were called to meet the captain, they were told to stop complaining or the flight would be diverted.

“Our passengers need to recognise that they are in an environment with all ages, backgrounds, creeds, and races,” said a spokesperson for American Airlines.

The spokesman agreed with the crews decision and insists there was no homophobia involved, adding: “our understanding is that the level of affection was more than a quick peck on the cheek.”

Cecilia Cummings, Philadelphia’s senior vice-president for communications and community relations said the month was added for the first time this year in an effort to be more inclusive and follow the districts policy requiring equity for all minority groups.

200,000 calendars have been sent to parents, and there had been praise from some of the districts residents for the recognition of the month.

Gay and Lesbian History Month is one of four special history months noted, alongside Hispanic Heritage in September, African American in February, and Asian Pacific American in May.

Philadelphia district was not planning to roll out any district wide curriculum or hold celebrations to coincide with the month.

Ms Cummings told the Philadelphia Inquirer the complaints were expected. “We knew that this would be controversial”. “When you deal with diversity, there are some hot-button issues that emerge,” she said.

Protesting parent Ms Watson has called upon other parents to take their children out of school and boycott the district in October. She said: “How can you celebrate gay and lesbian month? What are you going to teach my daughter?”.

President of the district’s Home and School Council Greg Wade, supports the decision to include gay history month. “I understand that there are many people out there who have problems with the gay community, but they’re part of our community, and we, as a council, have to support every parent and every student in our school district,” said Wade.

The school calendar also notes National Day of Silence Against Anti-Gay Bullying on April 18. Ms Cummings saying the district was committed to ”foster knowledge and respect for all’.

Taiwan has over the last two weeks shown the world why it is considered one of the most gay friendly nations in Asia.

September 17th saw Mayor Ma Ying-jeou attend a rally by the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) civil rights movement outside City Hall, reports South China Morning Post.

At the rally Mayor Ma declared “tolerance is a necessary virtue in any world-class city. Homosexuality is a natural phenomenon. Gay rights are part of human rights. We want Taipei to be a multi-faceted city filled with love, peace and toleration”.

Yet underneath this public face of acceptance and tolerance, Taipei’s gay community have been angered by what many are seeing as underhand attempts to ruin the event.

Taipei city this year withdrew the annual NT$1 million (HK$236,000) funding for gay rights events that it has donated since 2000.

Additionally Yeh Jie-sheng deputy director of Department of Civil Affairs recently said his department would not promote same-sex marriage until they were legalised.

In 2003,Taiwan became the first Asian country to announce its intention to legalise same-sex marriage, but there has been no legislative action , despite pressure from gay rights activists.

Many see Mr Ma facing an uncomfortable and increasingly pressured situation trying to please the gay community and orthodox conservatives simultaneously.

Last month Christian groups demanded the withdrawal of the city’s funding of gay related events on the grounds that gays did not procreate.

The figures released today from the Registrar General for Scotland show that many gay and lesbian couples used the warm summer months to register for civil partnerships.

In the first three months of 2006, 259 (167 male, 92 female) partnerships were registered. This rose to 315 (168 male, 147 female) in the latest quarter (April – June).

The total number of gay ceremonies by the end of June 2006 now stands at 658 (388 male and 270 female).

The Civil Partnership Act 2004 came into force in December 2005 and during that month 84 couples – (53 male and 31 female) registered civil partnerships.

The majority of the increase, was because more female partnerships were registered – up from 92 to 147. The number of men registering increased by just one couple, from 167 to 168.

ANC is the majority party in South African government controlling the presidency and more than two-thirds of parliament’s seats.

Mr Zuma’s comments were made last Sunday at the Heritage Day celebrations in KwaDukza.

He told the crowd of thousands that he was speaking not as ANC leader but in his personal capacity “as a man”.

A statement released yesterday by the Joint Working Group (JWG) representing the South African gay community said the comments amounted to hate speech.

The JWG statement asks ”How can a narrow-minded person like this be expected to lead our nation?” Accusing Zuma of “blatant ignorance of the fundamental rights of people as enshrined in our South Africa Constitution”.

The comments come at a time when the South African parliament is preparing to hold public hearings on same sex marriage, which would give equal rights to gay unions.

If the bill is passed, South Africa will become the first country on the continent to sanction same-sex marriage.

Evashnee Naidoo, of the Durban Lesbian and Gay Community, said “It is quite scary as we are not sure whether this is a reflection of the ANC as a whole”.

“It is regrettable that these statements were made by someone like Zuma, whose party was instrumental in adopting the constitution which is currently considering whether to adopt matrimonial rights for gays and lesbians”.