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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14 December 2006Lesbian Tory rejects selection jibe 2 Margot James, the Tory Party's first openly lesbian candidate has hit out at a local councillor who implied that she received special treatment when she was selected to run for the Stourbridge seat last week because of her sexuality.Halesowen Conservative councillor Ken Turner claims that he was excluded from the MP selection process for the Halesowen and Rowley Regis constituency because he is a white male. -
14 December 2006Ireland court rejects gay marriage case 1 The High Court in Dublin has rejected a lesbian couple's case to recognise their Canadian marriage in Ireland.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discriminating against homosexuality can lead to clinical depression and that the current concept of marriage is outdated. -
14 December 2006Government opens door to gay parenting + The government has paved the way to free up discrimination in fertility and IVF treatment after removing reference to the "need for a father" in new proposals outlined today.The proposals follow an extensive public consultation exercise on the current law, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, and are contained in a new White Paper. -
13 December 2006European Court rejects sibling inheritance rights + The European Court of Human Rights has rejected the pleas of two elderly sisters asking for the same inheritance tax rights as married and gay couples.The siblings have been living together in Wiltshire since they were born, but Joyce, 88, and Sybil Burden, 80, fear that one of them will be left with a large inheritance tax bill when the other passes away. -
13 December 2006Debate rages over councillor’s gay slur ruling 14 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveDebate is raging in Brighton and amongst the wider gay community regarding yesterday's conviction of Tory Councillor Peter Willows over remarks he made linking gay people with paedophilia.Willows, a member of Brighton and Hove City Council for 12 years, was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and ordered to pay £250 in court costs by Brighton Magistrates yesterday in a ruling welcomed by some councillors and members of the gay community, but seen as an attack on freedom of speech by others. -
13 December 2006Gay groups welcome ‘historic UN decision’ + Three gay groups have been granted consultative status to the United Nations (UN).The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) this week granted consultative status to ILGA-Europe, the European Region of the International Lesbian and Gay Association, and to the Danish and German national lesbian and gay association, LBL and LSVD. -
13 December 2006AIDS charity welcomes Diana concert 1 The National AIDS Trust (NAT) has expressed delight at being part of next year's memorial concert for the late Princess Diana.Princes William and Harry yesterday unveiled plans for a Concert for Diana, to celebrate their mother's life, and to raise money for several charities including those she was a patron of. -
13 December 2006BBC distances itself from Diana concert auction 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveBBC Children In Need has taken action against a listing on auction site eBay which was offering tickets for next year's memorial concert for the late Princess Diana.Tickets for the Concert for Diana sold out within two minutes of going on sale this morning, however, many immediately appeared on auction websites such as eBay, with bids reaching as high as £200,000. -
13 December 2006Gay support urged for porn petitions 5 Different factions of the gay community are being urged to support one of two differing petitions on a new law regarding "violent pornography."The Criminal Justice Bill, unveiled in last month's Queen's Speech, would ban the possession of online and printed porn depicting "scenes of extreme sexual violence," a move opposed by some activists who claim the law is too vague and could lead to innocent people being prosecuted despite consenting to activities. -
12 December 2006Will Archers’ gay union raise inheritance awareness? 3 As Civil Partnership tops the agenda of long running BBC Radio4 soap The Archers, the Institute of Professional Will writers (IPW) is hoping that script writers might be able to educate couples about the impact of such a union more effectively than the registration process has done.The IPW says the majority of same sex couples have no idea how a Civil Partnership affects their inheritance arrangements, although their have been over 15,000 Civil Partnerships since the new legislation allowing Civil Partnerships came into force in December 2005. -
12 December 2006Cheney puts lesbian daughter first + US Vice-President Dick Cheney has been applauded by gay campaigners for his attitude towards his lesbian daughter's pregnancy.Mr Cheney's office released a statement last week describing him and his wife as "looking forward with eager anticipation to the arrival of their sixth grandchild" amid reports that their daughter Mary is having a baby with her partner of 15 years Heather Poe. -
12 December 2006ACT awakens gay union debate 1 The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has proposed a new gay unions law after the Federal Government overruled legislation it introduced earlier this year.The ACT Attorney General Simon Corbell presented the Civil Partnerships Bill 2006 into the Legislative Assembly this week. -
12 December 2006Tory councillor gay slur trial begins 14 A Tory councillor is to go on trial today after pleading not guilty at Brighton Magistrates to public order charges after allegedly making homophobic remarks.Cllr Peter Willows, 75, of Brighton and Hove City Council allegedly likened homosexuals to paedophiles. -
12 December 2006Archbishop ignores homophobic bullying 4 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveA gay MP has expressed concern over how faith schools address sexuality after the Archbishop of Birmingham told the Commons education committee that there is no need for policies on addressing homophobic bullying.Liberal Democrat MP Stephen Williams, a member of the Select Committee, yesterday asked Vincent Nichols, head of the Catholic Education Service, what faith schools are doing to address anti-gay bullying, but the archbishop retorted that there is no need for such policies. -
12 December 2006Gay star heads Concert for Diana bill 1 Princes William and Harry have outlined plans to commemorate the life of their mother Princess Diana 10 years after her death next year.A memorial service will be help on August 31st, followed by a tribute concert on July 1st, her birthday.Performers at the event, named Concert for Diana, to be held at Wembley Stadium, include gay singing legend Sir Elton John, who brought the nation to tears with his rendition of Candle in the Wind, at her funeral. -
12 December 2006DUP ‘whipping up homophobia’ 12 Alliance Party Leader David Ford has backed proposed equality protections laws in Northern Ireland and has hit out at the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) for whipping up unfounded fears to discriminate against gay people.DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson had called for a debate asking for the law to be delayed by the Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain, as in the rest of the UK, for further consultation, claiming the regulations will inhibit religious rights. -
12 December 2006Gay star to front talk show + Gay TV personality Graham Norton has been given a new weekly talk show after BBC Two announced its Winter/Spring schedule this week.Norton will present a brand new programme for the channel based on the people, trends, stories and aspects of celebrity culture that interest him most, and that would not make it onto the news. -
12 December 2006Tory councillor guilty of homophobic slur 14 A Conservative Councillor has been found guilty of Public Order Offences after calling gay people paedophiles at a council reception.Peter Willows, a member of Brighton and Hove City Council for 12 years, was charged with Public Order Offences, after making the comments at a civil reception at Brighton Pavilion held in honour of the new Mayor.
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11 December 2006Ex-Tory leader undermines party’s ‘pro-gay’ image 3 Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has come close to embarrassing the party's attempts at modernisation after appearing to suggest that gay couples cannot bring up children.Launching a report on the importance of marriage and family to society, Mr Duncan Smith said gay couples were "irrelevant" to the work. -
11 December 2006University deadlocked over ‘ex-gay’ course 4 Edinburgh University has reached deadlock in an argument with its Christian Union over a course which appears to promote homophobia.The University this week repealed a ban of its Christian Union after being threatened with legal action, but now the society is refusing to abide by the new terms.
