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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17 April 2006No gay marriage for Hong Kong Brits 1 Gay British nationals in Hong Kong will not be allowed civil partnerships, a consulate spokeswoman announced yesterday.The British consulate office in Hong Kong declared on its website, the Hong Kong government "does not consider it appropriate to agree to the registration of civil partnerships of same-sex couples at the British Consulate-General Hong Kong at present." -
17 April 2006Cameron in the pink: Tory leader sees increased support in the gay community 4 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveA poll by PinkNews.co.uk has found a growth in support of the Conservative party amongst the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered) community since the election of David Cameron as leader.In a poll of 600 readers, selected to be demographically representative of LGBT people in England, a 10.2% increase in support for the Conservatives since 2005 was found, although Labour remains the party of choice for the pink vote. -
17 April 2006Gay scandal MP to explain actions 5 Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten's marriage has been resurrected this Easter.The former Home Affairs spokesman, who resigned amid allegations of a gay affair with a "rent boy," announced this weekend that he is back with his wife Belinda, who 'understands' what led to his betrayal. -
17 April 2006Careless Parker: George Michael admits three car smash 4 George Michael has admitted crashing into three parked cars last weekend in North London, and will now be quizzed by police.The gay star's representative phoned police to report the incident after the crash was revealed by witnesses yesterday.Michael has already made contact with the car owners to arrange financial compensation, according to the Daily Mirror. -
14 April 2006Green Party call for gay guidelines to be sent to schools + Brighton Hove Green Party today called on their council to send copies of the government's new guidance on Sex Relationships Education to all local schools.The guidance breaks important new ground, by explicitly recommending that primary schools acknowledge lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) identities within families, and that secondary schools acknowledge that some of their students will be starting to identify as LGBT. -
12 April 2006MEP slams Nigeria’s “homophobic” culture + The Nigerian government is facing condemnation from the European Parliament over plans to make homosexual marriage illegal and to ban gay organisations.MEP Michael Cashman (UK), president of the Intergroup on gay and lesbian rights , accused the government of supporting a "homophobic" culture and threatening "the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender citizens." -
12 April 2006Apprentice contestant is a lesbian, friends say 3 A contestant on Sir Alan Sugar's TV show, "The Apprentice," has been outed by a British tabloid.Ruth Badger, a favourite to win a contract with Sir Alan's company at the end of the BBC2 competition, is reportedly a lesbian and is divorcing her husband, Ian. -
12 April 2006HIV man leaves Scotland after “gay paedophile” label 2 An HIV sufferer is leaving Scotland because of a lack of support and constant abuse including being labelled a "gay paedophile."John Percy is the country's longest surviving man with the illness, but says he is moving to London because his last few years in Edinburgh have been "hell." -
10 April 2006No evidence of gay “bug chasers,” AIDs group say + The National AIDs Trust (NAT) has dismissed suggestions that gay men "fantasise about passing on HIV."A BBC3 documentary, "I love being HIV+," to be shown this evening, warns viewers that "bug chasers" may encourage people to try to get infected with the virus. -
10 April 2006City awaits gay banker tribunal result 4 The City is nervously awaiting the outcome of a senior banker's compensation claim against HSBC over allegations that he was sacked because he was openly gay.It is believed to be the biggest case of its kind to have reached an industrial tribunal since December 2004 when sex discrimination rules became applicable to gays and lesbians. -
10 April 2006Pro-gay Prodi wins Italian elections 2 Romano Prodi's centre left coalition, The Union, has been declared the winner in the Italian elections, 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. -
10 April 2006Gay group condemns Pope’s “satanic” speech 3 A gay group has launched an attack on the Pope days before his Good Friday speech where he is expected to condemn gay civil partnerships as "satanic."The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) has branded the pontiff's remarks as "verging on the unhinged." -
10 April 2006Muslim Council gay rights u-turn “welcomed” + Revelations that the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) has agreed to combat homophobia in the Muslim community have been "warmly welcomed" by OutRage!, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender human rights group.MCB policy advisor, Muhammed Aziz, revealed a five-year plan against homophobia in an interview with PinkNews.co.uk last week. -
10 April 2006Over half of New York supports gay marriage 1 Support in New York has steadily grown over the last three years for the right of gay people to marry, according to a poll released today by Empire State Pride Agenda, the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organisation.Conducted by Global Strategy Group in March, the poll found that 53% of New Yorkers support marriage for same-sex couples while 38% do not. These numbers and those from two other polls conducted for the Pride Agenda by Global Strategy Group in 2004 and 2005 track a steady increase in support among New Yorkers on this issue. -
10 April 2006Gay employee rights updated + Gay charity Stonewall will today launch un updated version of the 2003 employment regulations relating to sexual orientation in the workplace.The 'Discrimination at work - it's so over' guide is the result of a joint initiative between Stonewall and the Trades Union Congress (TUC.) -
7 April 2006Police gay census not “political correctness” + The Metropolitan Police Authority's equality chairperson has hit back at claims that plans to ask officers to declare their sexuality are about "political correctness."Metropolitan Police chief, Sir Ian Blair presented the policy this week setting out plans to gain an accurate quota of gay and lesbian officers in the police force. -
7 April 2006Gay search finds whopper sized irrelevancies + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveType the keyword gay into a search engine and what would you expect; marriage, adoption, homophobic attacks, or maybe even Burger King?That's what users have found on NewsNow, an online news portal, which searches and scans keywords in 15 languages from thousands of online publications.Stories from Canadian internet news service provider, myTelus, have taken over the Gay and Lesbian section of NewsNow with stories covering subjects such as Burger King, diamond strikes, and unemployment rates. -
7 April 2006CPS gay forum chair arrested + The chairman of the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) network, has been accused of gay sex attacks and drug possession.Will Hollins, credited with setting up a gay forum to promote equality and diversity, is charged with sexual assaults on two men and possessing and supplying cocaine and cannabis. -
7 April 2006Muslim group reveals plan for gay consensus + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusivePinkNews.co.uk has been told of a five year plan to combat homophobia in the British Muslim community.Muhammed Aziz, policy advisor to the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), told PinkNews.co.uk that significant progress is expected following internal discussions after a productive All Party Parliamentary Group meeting earlier this year, which included the Muslim organisation and gay charity Stonewall.
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6 April 2006Lesbian Tory vice chairman tipped for London Mayor campaign 2 Lesbian Conservative Party vice chairman Margot James has emerged as a potential applicant for the selection of a Tory London mayoral candidate.The Conservatives are holding an open primary which allows anyone to apply to be nominated to contest the position for the 2008 London mayoral election.
