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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20 April 2006Sydney to hear gay adoption views + Sydney based gay and lesbian couples may be given the right to adopt children, activists say.The New South Wales Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby is looking to take advantage of public submissions to a review of the Department of Community Services Adoption Act. -
20 April 2006Libraries remain open to gay publications + Attempts by conservative groups to remove gay publications from a public library have failed.Trustee Bryce Kurfees from the Upper Arlington Public Library Board attempted to stop the "garbage" of Outlook Weekly and Gay People's Chronicle from being provided in public libraries. -
20 April 2006Man detained over Caribbean homophobic attack 5 A suspect has been detained over the homophobic attack on two news producers in the Caribbean.The Chief Prosecutor for the island of St Maarten, Taco Stein, has confirmed that two men were questioned by police, one has been released and one is in custody. -
20 April 2006Parent claims gay school book is ‘indoctrinating’ son 1 A 7-year-old's parents are complaining after his school provided a storybook about gay marriage without warning them.The book, "King King," where a prince marries a fellow prince instead of a princess, was used in a lesson teaching different types of weddings. -
20 April 2006Anti-homophobia lessons for schools + Dudley primary school children will be given anti-homophobia lessons, according to local authority plans.Education officers at Dudley Council are reported to be worried about the effects of bullying on young children and look set to push through anti bullying legislation this week. -
20 April 2006Analysts predict former New York mayor “gay rights” backtrack 1 Former New York City mayor, Rudolph Giuliani may renege on his support for gay rights, according to political analysts.Mr Giuliani has previously told interviewers that he is "pro gay rights," but now as he attempts to stand as the Republican presidential nomination in 2008, he appears to be backtracking on that promise. -
19 April 2006Gay representatives to join sexual health lobby + Sexual health provision needs to be drastically improved in order to cut the rates of sexually transmitted infections amongst the student population, MPs will hear today.At a lobbying event organised by National Union of Students (NUS UK) and the Terrence Higgins Trust, students from across the UK, including LGBT officers (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) will describe the difficulties they face in accessing sexual healthcare, from long waiting times at GUM clinics to a lack of free condoms. -
19 April 2006Senior gay police officer may be forced to quit 7 Britain's most senior gay police officer may be forced out of Scotland Yard, according to reports.Brian Paddick, the Deputy Assistant Commissioner, could leave the force after conflicts between his account of the tube shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes last year, and the official police statement. -
19 April 2006Fellowship calls for Christian trial of gay bishop 5 An Anglican fellowship has launched a national petition to bring charges against gay bishop Gene Robinson and those involved in installing him.The Lay Episcopalians for the Anglican Communion (LEAC), want to determine, in formal trials, the standing of church law, doctrine and practice. -
19 April 2006Gay community joins Nepal protests + Nepalese gay groups have joined protests against the country's King Gyanendra.Blue Diamond Society, the only gay rights organisation in Nepal, has joined the opposition to the king, after he sacked the government last year, thus plunging the South Asian country into turmoil. -
19 April 2006New calls for HIV blunder inquiry + The Haemophilia Society has renewed calls for a public inquiry into how what has been described as the greatest treatment disaster in the history of the NHS took place.Over 4000 people with haemophilia were exposed to HIV during the 1970s and 1980s through the use of contaminated blood products by the NHS. It is believed that up to 1,000 of these have since died as a result.
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19 April 2006Pro gay Prodi officially announced as Italian PM 2 Romano Prodi's centre left coalition, has been officially declared the winner in the Italian elections by the Supreme Court, despite doubts being cast by outgoing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.The results are good news for the gay community as Signor Prodi has promised to change Italy including introducing a civil partnership law. -
19 April 2006Italy elects Europe’s first transgender MP 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe official announcement of Romano Prodi's election success in Italy today now means that the gay community can look forward to a possible increase in rights and representation.Signor Prodi has previously promised a civil partnership law and five LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community members have also been elected to Parliament. -
18 April 2006Elton John finds home for Shakespeare inspired film + Elton John's movie pitch for Gnomeo and Juliet has been given the go ahead by Miramax Films, despite being rejected by parent company, Walt Disney, last month.The play on the William Shakespeare classic, Romeo and Juliet, tells the classic love story in the setting of a gnome garden. -
18 April 2006Anti gay funeral protests limited 2 Nine US states have introduced laws to impose restrictions on protests at funerals of gay soldiers.Over the last year, church groups such as the Westboro Baptist Church, in Kansas, have picketed funerals of gay soldiers waving signs with slogans such as "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." -
18 April 2006Elton John’s thousand dollar clothes sale + An auction of Elton John's unwanted garments raised over $700,000 (£397, 073) for his AIDs charity last week.The spring clearout, which included items worn by the singer and his partner David Furnish, included designs from Versace, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada as well as Sir Elton's polka-dot suit worn during his controversial performance with Eminem at the 2001 Grammys. -
18 April 2006Conservative chairman welcomes gay poll 4 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveConservative Party chairman Francis Maude has welcomed a poll by PinkNews.co.uk which reveals a growth in support for theConservatives amongst the gay community.A poll of 600 readers, selected to be demographically representative of LGBT people in England, showed a 10.2% increase in support for the Conservatives since 2005. -
18 April 2006Brighton Gay councillor to step down + One of Brighton's few openly gay councillors has announced he will stand down at the next elections in 2007.Simon Williams, a Green Party member, represented Brighton's central St Peters and North Laine area since 2003, but has become fed up with "so many meetings." -
18 April 2006Labour warns against supporting “pink chameleon” 4 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveDavid Cameron would "move stealthily" against the gay community if the Tories return to power, according to the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights (LCLGR).Speaking in reaction to a PinkNews.co.uk poll which revealed an increase in gay support for the Conservative Party, the LCLGR cast doubts on leader Mr Cameron's credentials. -
17 April 2006Pentagon admits gay surveillance + The US Department of Defence (DoD) has released documentation confirming government surveillance of groups opposed to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law banning openly lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGBT) service members, according to a gay legal group.The government's TALON reports were released in response to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request filed by Servicemembers Legal Defence Network (SLDN) in January.
