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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8 March 2006Gay banker masturbated in front of employee, tribunal told 4 A gay banker was allegedly sacked by HSBC for masturbating in front of a male employee in the work gym shower, an employment tribunal has been told.43-year-old Peter Lewis, claims he was sacked by the bank because he is gay. He was dismissed by the banking giant for "gross personal misconduct". The incident in question relates to an encounter between Mr Lewis and another male employee of the bank, which ultimately resulted in a complaint of "sexual harassment". -
8 March 2006New Zealand to lift gay sperm ban + A ban on gay sperm donors may soon be lifted in New Zealand according to health authorities in the country.The controversial issue has been widely covered in the media due to a shortage of sperm donors in New Zealand and Australia. However, when a gay man in Wellington offered to help, he was turned away. -
8 March 2006Gay media monitor launched + A new scheme has been launched by gay charity, Stonewall, to monitor the portral of gay people in the media, after the BBC was slammed for its coverage of homosexual issues.The project will allow TV viewers, radio listeners and newspaper readers to log any instances of homophobia they witness in the media. -
8 March 2006MP defends meeting with anti gay Muslim group 2 Former cabinet minister, Clare Short, has defended a meeting she held with a radical Muslim group last week, amid anger from fellow Labour MPs and gay rights activists.The former international development secretary invited Islamic group, Hizb ut-Tahrir, which the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, wishes to ban from Britain, to speak to MPs. -
8 March 2006Gay icon handed unique restraining order 7 Gay icon, Paris Hilton, has been given an unusual restraining order to stay at least 100 yards away from an event producer, unless they are at the same party.Brian Quintana was granted the three-year order against the Simple Life star last month after he testified that she continuosly harassed and threatened him after their friendship ended. -
7 March 2006Brokeback Mountain director had Oscar speech cut + Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee had his Oscar acceptance speech censored by the Chinese media on Sunday, it has been revealed.Chinese media editors cut certain parts from his speech during the broadcast of the Academy Awards, including references to his native Taiwan and gay issues, as homosexuality is still frowned upon in the country. It was seen as a mental disorder until 2001. -
7 March 2006EastEnders actress explains lesbian role + EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy answered questions about her character's upcoming lesbian storyline on a visited to a North London hospital radio station this weekRadio Brockley, which has been based at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital for forty years, hosted Ms Cassidy, who plays Sonia Fowler in the BBC prime time soap. She told the show the storyline was a strange experience. -
7 March 2006Gay men more aware of HIV drug + Gay men's awareness of a drug which could prevent HIV infection when someone has been exposed to the virus has doubled in the UK following a targeted national education campaign. The drug, called Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP), has an 80% chance of preventing HIV infection if taken within 72 hours of exposure, for 28 days.According to new data from the National Gay Men's Sex Survey undertaken by Sigma Research, gay men in the UK in 2005 were twice as likely to be aware of PEP than they were in 2003, an increase from 22% to 39% following an awareness campaign coordinated by Terrence Higgins Trust. -
7 March 2006Further student protests at gay blood discrimination 6 Inequality in the Scottish blood transfusion service is being highlighted this week with a series of events being held by students across Scotland.Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dunfermline and Kilmarnock will all see events held outside blood transfusion venues on 9 March, where students will urge members of the public to give blood because gay and bisexual men are banned from doing so. Scotland needs 1,000 blood donations per day to keep up with demand. -
6 March 2006Brokeback Mountain scores best director award at Oscars + Despite being nominated for eight Oscars including best actor for Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain scored only three awards at the Oscars ceremony held in Hollywood yesterday.The film which has wowed audiences across Britain has scored some high profile fans including the Conservative leader, David Cameron.
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6 March 2006Publisher jailed after printing gay list + The newspaper publisher who outed prominent public figures he thought were gay in Cameroon has been jailed for defamation.Jean Pierre Amougo Belinga, publisher of L'Anecdote, was jailed for four months for defaming a government minister who was named in a list of 50 presumed homosexuals in the African country where homosexuality is illegal. -
6 March 2006Banker to tell tribunal he was sacked because he was gay 4 A banker's £5m compensation claim against HSBC over allegations that the City giant sacked him because he was openly gay is due to start at an employment tribunal in east London today.An investment banker who claims he was sacked from HSBC because he was gay will have his case heard at an employment tribunal this week.
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6 March 2006Gay Jews may get marriage rights + The UK Masorti movement has said it would never consider Jewish same sex unions, in reaction to its US equivalent considering allowing gay marriage and gay rabbis this week.American gay Jews may soon be allowed to get married and become rabbis after the Conservative Judaism movement meets this week.Previously the group, which is in the centre of Jewish thought between liberal and orthodox movements, has banned same sex marriage and gay rabbis. -
6 March 2006Pensioners demand right to be anti gay 2 Two Christian pensioners are planning to sue their local police and council claiming they have the right to be anti gay.The retired couple faced a police investigation for "potentially homophobic" comments in December after objecting to Wyre Borough Council's stance on gay issues.Devout Christians, Joe Roberts 73, and his wife Helen, 68, of Fleetwood, Lancashire, wrote to the Council accusing them of "pandering" to minority groups. They said they felt discriminated against. -
6 March 2006Fans complain after tabloids say singer is gay 2 American Idol fans are suing a music company after complaining that they were duped into buying the music of a former contestant after claims that he is gay.The contestant, Clay Aiken, appeared in the 2003 series of American Idol, he was marketed through his boyish looks and Christian beliefs which have helped him sell millions of records. However, his followers have reacted angrily to tabloid allegations that he met men in gay sex chat rooms. -
6 March 2006Gay Boyzone star to wed partner + Gay Boyzone star Stephen Gately is set to have a star studded civil partnership ceremony with his partner, internet entrepreneur, Andy Cowles, after setting a date this week.The singer is reported to have set a date for March 20 for a ceremony thought to be held at his London home. -
6 March 2006DJ files legal action over gay orgy claims 24 The DJ who was featured in an internet picture with footballer Ashley Cole after tabloid allegations of a gay orgy has initiated legal action against the Sun and the News of the World.Ian Thompson, known as DJ Masterstepz, was not named by either newspaper, both of which printed stories claiming a well-known DJ had taken part in gay sex acts with Premiership footballers. An unedited version of the obscured picture that the News of the World printed was later published on PinkNews.co.uk. -
6 March 2006Free fertility treatment for lesbians 5 Single women and lesbians will soon be able to get free fertility treatment on the NHS, according to reports.Currently the Health Service allows one free IVF cycle to mixed-sex couples where the woman is under 40. Some health trusts are now saying they will extend the offer of one treatment to single or lesbian women who are experiencing fertility problems, at the same priority as a married couple.
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3 March 2006Ashley Cole files lawsuit over gay orgy story 32 England and Arsenal star Ashley Cole has started legal action against the News of the World and the Sun for harassment, libel and breach of privacy, in relation to articles describing an alleged gay orgy.Although the footballer, who is engaged to Girls Aloud singer Cheryl Tweedy, was not directly named in any of the stories, the 25 year old's lawyers complained that the photograph and accompanying text in the articles suggested he was one of the players involved. They said their client denied involvement in a sexual relationship with another Premiership footballer or with any other man. -
3 March 2006Brokeback Mountain is top internet search + Gay cowboy movie Brokeback Mountain is the most searched for film ahead of this weekend's Oscars ceremony.Ahead of the 78th Annual Academy Awards ceremony which takes place this Sunday, research reveals those films and actors the UK public have been searching on over the past few weeks.Web analysts, Hitwise Search Intelligence revealed that the film has had the highest amount of hits since nominations fot the 78th Annual Academy Awards were announced in January
