Marc Shoffman was chief correspondent of PinkNews.co.uk between 2005 and 2006. He was online editor between 2006 and 2007.
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21 December 2006Researchers slam anti-gay use of work + Researchers have criticised 'family values' chief James Dobson for using their work to prove his theories that gay and lesbian families are unhealthy for children.Mr Dobson, head of anti-gay group Focus on the Family, wrote an article in Time magazine criticising US Vice-President Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter over her parenting plans, he backed up his theories by using research from New York University psychologist Carol Gilligan and Yale professor Kyle Pruet. -
21 December 2006Irish lesbian couple appeal marriage ruling 2 A lesbian couple are to appeal a High Court decision which said their Canadian marriage could not be recognised in Ireland.Last week, Ms Justice Elizabeth Dunne dismissed the case of Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan claiming that marriage could only be defined between members of the opposite sex, but the couple will now take their case to Ireland's Supreme Court. -
20 December 2006US military recruits are comfortable with gay colleagues 5 US military personnel are increasingly comfortable serving with openly gay colleagues, a poll from Zogby International and the Michael D. Palm Center claims.The study, released today, reveals that 73% of military members are comfortable with lesbians and gays, while nearly one in four (23%) service members report knowing for sure that someone in their unit is lesbian or gay, including 21% of those in combat units. -
20 December 2006Gay activists welcome President nod + Gay activists have praised US President George W Bush after he approved the Ryan White CARE Act this week.The Act provides medical and psychosocial services to people living with HIV/AIDS, it is named after a boy who was expelled from school for having AIDS, and dedicated his life to helping sufferers and proving that it is not a 'gay disease.' -
20 December 2006Gay group advises Germany over EU role + EU gay campaigners have published a document aimed at Germany as it steps into the presidency of the political body in the new year.Germany will take over from Finland which will complete its six month stint at the end of December, making way for the Germans in January 2007. -
19 December 2006Police investigate internal gay rows 1 Police are investigating religious expression within the force after rows have broken out between gay and Christian colleagues, according to reports.The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) will produce guidelines after the review to recommend the best way forward. -
19 December 2006Gay activists welcome lobby group chief + Gay lobby group The Log Cabin Republicans has named Patrick Sammon as the organisation's new President.Mr Sammon immediately signalled an intention to move the Republican Party into a more inclusive agenda, after disastrous mid term election results. -
19 December 2006Episcopal head denies gay split + The head of the US Episcopal Church has moved to calm rumours of a split amid moves in diocese across America to distance itself from liberal viewpoints on gay clergy and same sex unions.Several churches from the Diocese of Virginia, including the Truro Church and the Falls Church, which date back to British colonial times, voted to leave the Episcopal Church on Sunday, but Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori says this does not mean the denomination is in a crisis. -
19 December 2006Court rejects gay banker’s discrimination appeal 1 A gay banker who claims he was sacked because of his sexual orientation has had his appeal rejected at an employment appeals tribunal.Peter Lewis, who earned in the region of £1 million a year at HSBC, was seeking £5 million in damages from the bank in what was seen as one of the biggest gay discrimination cases in the UK. -
18 December 2006Anglican Church faces more splits over gay rift + Two of America's oldest religious congregations have split from the Episcopal Church causing a further dent in the car crash being caused by the Anglican Communion's rift over homosexuality.The Truro Church and the Falls Church, which date back to British colonial times, have voted to be placed under the authority of African Anglican Archbishop Peter Akinola, a vocal opponent of gay clergy and same sex marriage. -
18 December 2006Clarkson reprimanded for ‘gay car’ comment 27 The BBC has pleased gay campaigners after upholding a complaint that Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson was behaving in a derogatory manner after referring to a car as "gay" on the programme.Four viewers complained about an exchange during BBC Two's Top Gear last July in which Clarkson picked up a remark from an audience that a certain car was "gay", the presenter then backed it up by saying, "a bit gay, yes very ginger beer" which is cockney rhyming slang for queer. -
18 December 2006Stormont criticised for allowing gay equality 3 A cleric who is prepared to go to jail by opposing new gay rights laws in Northern Ireland, has criticised the Assembly for failing to stop the legislation, prompting criticism from gay groups.The Sexual Orientation Regulations, which protect the LGBT community from discrimination in goods and services, are due in Northern Ireland next month, but the Reverend Eric McComb, a Pentecost Church minister, says the law only passed through because politicians "lack the moral fibre" to oppose it. -
18 December 2006Young gay Londoners defend free buses + Young LGBT people have hit out at the deputy chairman of the London Assembly's transport committee for proposing to abolish free bus travel for under-18s.Conservative Assembly Member Roger Evans claims on his blog that the free travel scheme for young Londoners is costing £55 million and is being abused through anti-social behaviour. -
18 December 2006Christians launch legal challenge to gay equality 3 A coalition of Christian groups has been granted permission to seek a judicial review regarding new gay equality laws in Northern Ireland.The Christian Institute has led calls to delay the Sexual Orientation Regulations, due in Northern Ireland next month, claiming they were rushed through and constitute an attack on freedom of conscience. -
15 December 2006New Jersey approves gay unions 46 A gay legal group has welcomed New Jersey's introduction of a civil union bill, but has warned that it still creates inequality between homosexual and heterosexual couples.The civil union bill, passed by the New Jersey Assembly and Senate this week, provides benefits like adoption and inheritance rights for same sex couples, but deliberately leaves out the word marriage. -
15 December 2006Community urged to ‘mobilise’ for gay equality 12 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveGay charity Stonewall has called on the community to get behind the Sexual Orientation Regulations, amid mounting opposition from the Christian Right.Speaking to a forum of LGBT groups at City Hall in London last night, Stonewalls Public and Parliamentary Affairs spokesman Alan Wardle warned that gay originations must stop religious groups mobilising against the laws. -
14 December 2006Homophobes target The Archers 3 An anti-gay Christian sect has launched a stinging attack on BBC Radio4 soap The Archers, ahead of the drama's first civil partnership this evening.The Archers is set to have Ambridge's first ever civil partnership in a special edition of the BBC show tonight, prompting Christian Voice to urge listeners to steer clear. -
14 December 2006High Court to rule on lesbian marriage + The High Court in Dublin will today rule on the validity of a lesbian couple's Canadian marriage in London.In a landmark case in October, the court heard arguments from Katherine Zappone and Ann Louise Gilligan claiming discriminating against homosexuality can lead to clinical depression and that the current concept of marriage is outdated.
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14 December 2006Conservative Christians warn Archbishop over gay rift + Evangelical leaders are urging the Archbishop of Canterbury to let them overrule liberal bishops or face anarchy over controversial issues such as homosexuality, according to reports.Conservative clergy, backed by Bishop of Rochester, Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, have told Dr Rowan Williams that a parallel structure must be created from liberal bishops within the Church of England and wider Anglican Communion. -
14 December 2006Gay men urged to stub it out 5 The NHS Smoking Helpline is calling on gay and bisexual men to stub out their cigarettes after a survey revealed that their habit is well above the national average.A study carried out amongst gay and bisexual men for the NHS Smoking Helpline has found that 41 per cent of gay and bisexual men are smokers, rising to 60 per cent for 25 to 34 year olds, well in excess of the national average of 25 per cent.
