The permits, known as Certificates of No Impediment, are required by some countries before a couple can marry.

For gay couples marrying abroad, Australia had previously refused to provide the permit, but a change in policy was announced late last year.

The move is implemented by new Attorney-General Nicola Roxon, who took office on 14 December last year.

Australian Marriage Equality national convener, Alex Greenwich, said: “The real problem remains the failure of parliament to allow same-sex marriages in Australia, but the removal of the CNI ban will ease the burden on same-sex couples who are forced overseas to marry.

“It’s already painful enough for same-sex partners to have to marry overseas, away from family and friends, without the Australian Government putting up additional bureaucratic barriers.”

“We welcome the commitment of Ms Roxon to removing this mean-spirited policy as quickly as possible.”

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon said: “This important change will allow same-sex couples to take part in overseas marriage ceremonies, and be considered married according to the laws of that country.

“This change means the certificates, which were previously only available to heterosexual couples, will now also be available to same-sex couples.

“Yet again, this change demonstrates Labor’s strong commitment to removing discrimination in Commonwealth laws and policies.

“In 2009, we removed discrimination from 85 different laws that now provide equal treatment for same-sex couples in areas like taxation, social security, health, aged care, superannuation and more.”

Australian Marriage Equality said that among the countries who needed couples to produce the certificate, the Netherlands and New York state waived the requirement when they became aware of the now-defunct Australian policy.

The video, in which Kylie confesses ‘tears on her pillow’ because she wasn’t able to be in Sydney for Australia Day, she announces that she will be kicking off ‘K25′ – celebrations for 25 years in the music industry – at Sydney’s Mardi Gras.

She said: “I am coming home for Mardi Gras this year!”

“I simply cannot wait, and it’s going to be a beautiful way to celebrate 25 years of this relationship.”

Strategic partners Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and Destination NSW confirmed that this year will be the superstar will ‘step back in time’ as this will be her third time performing at the event, the last time being 14 years ago.

SGLMG also announced that they will pay homage to Minogue’s career and promotion of LGBTQI work with a special K25 float.

Speaking on behalf of SGLMG, the company’s CEO, Michael Rolik announced:

“There is no doubt that our community contains an enormous number of Kylie fans so we are delighted that she will be here for Mardi Gras at the start of her 25th anniversary in the music industry,”

“There are often rumours that Kylie will be back at Mardi Gras and today we are pleased to confirm she will be here to party alongside us over the Parade weekend. We will be pulling out all the stops to show her a good time. This year promises to deliver a wonderful Parade and Kylie’s attendance will be the cherry on the cake.”

George Souris, NSW Minister for Tourism, Major Events and The Arts, said: “Ms. Minogue has a very special place in Australians’ hearts. She has a global audience who adore her. Where better for her to celebrate her 25 years in entertainment than in Sydney, Australia’s global city.”

Minogue addresses her Australian fans in the video, saying: “Your support over the years has just been phenomenal and I can’t wait to come home and share that with you. See you in March.”

Recommendations to amend the Criminal Code have been made after a petition by a Catholic priest garnered more than 25,000 signatures and international support.

So-called “gay panic” has been invoked by defendants in murder cases trying to downgrade their charge to manslaughter on the basis that the victim had made a gay proposition to them and they lost control of their actions.

Introducing the petition after a man was killed in the grounds of his church, Father Kelly says: “It is simply intolerable that anyone can rely on a defence or an excuse that an alleged homosexual advance could somehow mitigate against violence that leads to death.”

Now Queensland officials have said they will ensure the rules are tightened.

Attorney General of Queensland Paul Lucas said: “We made it crystal clear from day one that the Queensland Government does not believe that anyone should be able to use a claim of non-violent homosexual advance to reduce a conviction from murder to manslaughter.

“That’s why we listened to the expert advice of the Queensland Law Reform Commission in 2008 and ensured strengthened legislation was passed so words alone could not amount to a partial defence.

“However, I received a number of representations from the gay community last year and consequently set up an expert committee comprised of key stakeholders to examine the laws.”

That committee has recommended clarification of the laws around sexual advances.

Section 304 of the Queensland Criminal Code which deals with diminished responsibility will need to be amended with care, officials said, because violent sexual advances could justifiably trigger a partial defence.

Paul continued: “It is not possible to remove sexual advances completely without affecting situations such as that of a battered woman who knows that her refusal of a sexual advance from her partner is a precursor to assault and she takes immediate action to stop this from happening.

“There is no place for these kinds of acts in a civilised society.

“These amendments make it crystal clear that someone making a pass at someone is not grounds for a partial defence and by no means an excuse for horribly violent acts.”

Father Paul Kelly said today: “I am heartened but cautious in relation to the latest announcement from the Queensland government committing itself to the effective eradication of the “homosexual advance” partial defence. It still appears to be tinkering around the edges. I await the details of the report and the recommendations.

“Issues re raising of evidence in the trial still seem unclear. The vagueness and means of adjudicating “exceptional circumstances” may still allow circumstances of an alleged advance to pollute jury considerations and tap into prejudices. Concern remains.”

The tennis player-turned-church leader attended the Australian Open today, despite speculation that she might get caught up in demonstrations by those opposed to her views.

Protest coordinator of last week’s flag-waving demonstrations, gay journalist Doug Pollard had said they were: “not asking for a lot of noise.”

The 69-year-old ex-tennis player said in a comment piece for the Melbourne Herald Sun, maintaining her stance on the subject:

“Let me be clear. I believe that a person’s sexuality is a choice. In the Bible it said that homosexuality is among sins that are works of the flesh,” she wrote.

“It is not something you are born with. My concern is that we are advocating to young people that it is OK to have these feelings.”

She goes on to say: “A nun at my primary school once gave me the cane and it was one of the best lessons of my life”.

Tennis legend and LGBT rights campaigner, Martina Navratilova, commented on Court’s “outdated” views earlier this week: “It is not about any one person,” she said. “It’s about human rights. It is a secular view, not a religious view.

“I have spoken to her years ago but she was all about Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. She repeated that four or five times so I just felt I couldn’t get through to her.”

Calls by Court’s opposition to rename the Margaret Court Arena after Martina Navratilova have been met with mixed responses.

Protesters are reportedly planning to wear rainbow colours and wave more rainbow flags on Friday.

British Tennis player, Laura Robson, caused a stir by wearing a rainbow coloured scrunchie whilst competing in the Open last week, but said she had not intended it as a political statement against Court’s views.

Causing controversy for the second time in a month, Court has made it clear that she won’t change her stance on gay marriage.

She said: “To target me and the tennis is a political stunt.”

She told the Herald Sun: “I love (gays), I even work with them… but what concerns me so much is the amount of hatred that has been directed at me.”

Newton-John has joined the string of famous Australians in support of the campaign, which includes actor, Hugh Jackman, film critics David Stratton and costume designer, Margaret Pomeranz, Lizzy Gardiner.

The ‘Physical’ singer said: “With respect to marriage equality I believe that no one has the right to judge and deny couples who love each other the ability to make a marriage commitment.

“Love is love.”

This statement by the Grease actress, comes shortly ahead of a sold-out fundraising dinner for AME, which will see director and screenwriter, Stephan Elliot, announce more support from other high-ranking Australians.

Alex Greenwich, Australian Marriage Equality National Convener, is pleased with the growing support by these prominent figures:

“Australians admire celebrities like Olivia Newton-John and Hugh Jackman because they reflect our values of tolerance and a fair go for all, values which they are reminding us apply just as much to same-sex couples as to other Australians.”

As well as the dinner, there will be an auction, which includes prizes donated by Olivia Newton-John, Kylie Minogue, Icon Films, GetUP, Lady Gaga and others.

The dinner is not the only support for marriage equality in Australia this week, as Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young is to announce a fresh bid to push through a bill she introduced in 2009 which would legalise gay marriage.

She reportedly was confident of the support for such a bill, but was looking to discuss the practical implications of legalising gay marriage.

Hanson-Young said: “I’m not interested in stunts. I’m interested in getting the law changed.”

A backbencher for the Australian Labour party, Stephen Jones is also expected to introduce a bill to legalise same-sex marriage, and despite being accepted by the party, who recently changed their stance to support gay marriage, it is expected to be quashed by opposition.

Supporters of marriage equality remain hopeful of coalition MPs being granted a conscience vote on the issue.

Gay marriage is currently illegal in Australia, whilst civil unions are allowed in some states.

Olivia Newton-John appeared on the popular American television series Glee, singing a duet of her most famous hit ‘Physical’ with lesbian actress Jane Lynch.

As well as being an actor and singer, Newton-John was also the president of the Isle of Man Basking Shark Society.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that a hacker had listed sensitive profile information online, allowing Grindr users to be impersonated.

The app, which has amassed millions of users over nearly three years, can be used on iPhone, Blackberry OS and Android devices in 192 countries around the world.

Grindr said last week only a small number of Australian users had been affected by the hacker’s site, but it would be taking urgent measures to protect security.

The hacker’s site, which has now been taken down, reportedly exploited a gap in Grindr’s security to publicly list users’ profile names, passwords and favourite users.

It also allowed hackers to send and receive messages as a user without that user’s knowledge.

Grindr said on Friday that genuine user chat histories were not compromised as they are not stored by the app.

Address and credit card information was not hacked.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that the hacker exploited the mechanism through which profiles communicate, a unique sequence of numbers rather than a profile name and password.

When the sequence of numbers was replaced with another user’s numbers, a hacker could reportedly log into any account.

In response to a request about how users around the world would be affected, Joel Simkhai, Grindr’s founder, told PinkNews.co.uk: “Like most other responsible companies, we don’t comment on specifics of security enhancements or allegations about network issues – that wouldn’t serve the security of our users, our networks, or web security in general.

“Based on Grindr’s ongoing investigation, we took legal and technological actions to block a site that violated our terms of service. This site impacted a small number of primarily Australian Grindr users and it remains shut down. Blendr users were not affected by this.

“We continuously make improvements to our platform to increase security across our networks. We are releasing a mandatory update to our apps over the next few days to enhance security. Users will be notified via in-app messaging when the update is available or they can visit twitter.com/grindr. Our users can be assured that Grindr does not retain chat history, hold credit card information or addresses – and no such information was ever compromised.”

Graham Cluley, a security consultant at Sophos is quoted by the Inquirer as saying: “It’s an elementary security mistake that we have seen many websites caught out by before, not that that will be any consolation to the romance-hunting users of Grindr and Blendr.”

In 2011, Grindr founder Joel Simkhai talked to PinkNews.co.uk about Grindr’s exponential rise in popularity.

Jackie O, 37, whose full name is Jacqueline Ellen Marie Henderson, presents the most popular breakfast radio show in Australia.

‘Kyle and Jackie O’, which she co-hosts with Kyle Sandilands, is broadcast by Sydney’s 2DayFM.

She has been slammed for saying the “lesbian” connotations of her name were the reason she dislikes it.

Middle names were the topic of discussion on the show yesterday, Australia’s Daily Telegraph reports.

Gay and lesbian rights groups say it was a clear reference to US comedian and TV personality Ellen DeGeneres.

Ellen Degeneres recently came joint second on a PinkNews.co.uk list of the most influential people discussing LGBT life on Twitter.

Senthorum Raj from Sydney’s Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby said: “Comments that equate a person’s sexual orientation in a derisory way send a harmful, broader message that that sort of ridicule is acceptable, and that is something we actively try and speak up against and challenge.

“Generally we need to be more careful.”

A representative of 2DayFM’s owners told Australia’s Daily Telegraph yesterday that the Jackie O would not be making any further comment about the incident.

The two presenters were the subject of controversy in 2009 after a 14-year-old girl’s participation in a lie detector stunt went badly wrong.

In the live segment broadcast on 29 July, the girl was questioned on her experience with sex and drugs by her mother, along with Jackie O and Sandilands.

After initially protesting that she was scared to participate, the girl agreed to answer some questions.

Her mother asked “Have you ever had sex?”

The girl revealed she had been raped at the age of 12 and the mother had been aware of it.

After a long pause, Sandilands then asked: “Right. And is that the only experience you’ve had?”

Jackie O apologised repeatedly to the girl saying they had not been aware of the incident, and immediately offered her counselling, terminating the segment.

David Stratton, a film critic and television personality, and Oscar winner Lizzy Gardiner pledged their support for gay couples alongside Jackman this week.

The Australian celebrities signed a marriage equality declaration which reads:

“Marriage should be about love and respect, not discrimination. Australia is at its best when we value equality over prejudice and fear. That’s why we support marriage equality for same-sex couples. Marriage equality will help remove discrimination against same-sex couples and their children.

“It will also benefit marriage by allowing it to embrace more loving committed couples who uphold its values. It’s time for Australia to join the other nations that have benefitted from this important reform.”

Australian Marriage Equality National Convener Alex Greenwich said: “Hugh, David, and Lizzie are all happily married straight supporters of equality.

“They know how important marriage is to a couple and their families, and like most Australians they don’t feel same-sex couples should be denied the meaning and benefits of marriage”.

Jackman has had to deny gay rumours in the past. In December, his wife of 15 years addressed the most recent one.

Deborra-Lee Furness told the New York Post’s Page Six magazine: “It’s kind of tragic that these people have nothing better to do than to gossip about people they don’t know”.

In 2009, the X-Men and Australia actor said: “I’d be happy to go and deny being gay, because I’m not.

“But by denying it, I’m saying there is something shameful about it, and there isn’t anything shameful.”

On growing mainstream support in Australia for marriage equality, Alex Greenwich added: “The message for [Leader of the Opposition] Tony Abbott and the Coalition is that marriage equality is not a left-wing or Greens’ issue, but one that’s embraced by mainstream Australia”.

Film Director and Screenwriter Stephan Elliot, who was behind Priscilla Queen of the Desert and A Few Best Men, recruited the celebrities.

He said: “Australians are more accepting of same-sex couples than ever, it is time our laws reflected this, and this year our politicians will have the opportunity to make a positive change for good by supporting marriage equality.”

Wearing a rainbow-coloured scrunchie in her hair, Australian-born Robson, 17, left the court to questions from the press about her support for a peaceful protest against Margaret Court’s recent comments on the ‘choice’ of homosexuality.

The protest organizers came under fire by Bernie Finn, Liberal MP, on radio station Sydney Radio 2UE who described to have Court’s name removed from the arena as “rainbow fascism.”

Finn went on to say that some gay “extremists” had done a disservice to their own cause.

Robson told the press that she didn’t wear the hair band to make a political statement, and she “didn’t see anything about a protest”.

She said: “I wore it because I believe in equal rights for everyone. That’s it.”

The teen tennis star was aware of the comments made by Court, now an evangelical Christian church leader, but did not address her comments directly.

A few flags were visible, which did not cause a huge stir, but the protest coordinator Doug Pollard had said, “We are not asking for a lot of noise,” but they “ just wanted to say that we don’t agree with all the lies Margaret Court has been peddling. “

Court also later denied homophobia, but said in an interview with the New York Times that it was the “choice” she took issue with, rather than the person themselves.

Tennis Australia, the Australian governing body over the sport distanced themselves from Court’s comments and issued a statement which said: “We concur wholeheartedly with the WTA [Women's Tennis Association] who stated that ‘all human beings, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation or otherwise, should be treated equally.’”

Openly gay tennis player Martina Navratilova, who came out in two decades ago, told tennischannel.com: “A lot of people have evolved, as has the Bible. Unfortunately, Margaret Court has not … Her myopic view is truly frightening as well as damaging to the thousands of children already living in same-gender families.”

Laura Robson’s accidental protest overshadowed her performance in the competition, which she exited in the first round after 69 minutes.

Flag-owners are being called on after the former world number one made inflammatory comments about gays last month.

Court is now a minister and has an arena named in her honour at the annual tournament.

Court, 69, prompted a row with other tennis greats by saying gays were “aggressively demanding marriage rights that are not theirs to take”.

A Facebook group has the aim of providing “peaceful, non-disruptive support for the gay community by inundating [Margaret Court Arena] with rainbow flags during the Australian Open” has over 1,700 supporters.

Protest coordinator, the gay journalist Doug Pollard said: “We are not asking for a lot of noise.”

“We just want to say that we don’t agree with all the lies Margaret Court has been peddling.

“People think that she has got away with it for too long and have heard enough of her trading in on her tennis halo.”

Craig Tiley, the Australian Open’s director, said: “People have every right to express their views and that extends to those who want to attend the tennis on Monday and wear the rainbow colours. Indeed we embrace their right to do so.

“We do remind though, that we are running a Grand Slam tennis event and as such are conscious of ensuring there is no disruption to play or to the experience of the thousands of fans who flock to the Australian Open every year.”

Court reportedly told The Australian she would still attend the competition if there were protests, saying: “I don’t run from anything.”

On Twitter, user @paulkidd said it was a “lovely day for tennis, and for standing up against homophobia.”

Court insisted her comments had been taken the wrong way if people concluded she took issue with gay people rather than the “choice” of homosexuality.

She said: “I think there’s young people today that need to know it’s a choice in life. And that was my side of it, bringing that forth. I’ve got nothing against the people themselves, I’ve always said that all the years I’ve been a minister.”

In advance of the tournament, Doug Pollard tweeted: “Margaret Court says lesbians ‘ruined’ tennis: yeah, like gay men ‘ruined’ musical theatre!”

In opposition to the rainbow flag display, a Facebook group entitled “No Rainbow Flags Over Margaret Court Arena” calls for people to stop “hassling” public figures and leave the tennis tournament “for the tennis”.

Administrators wrote that complaints about the page were “boring dribble, and typical of the arrogant, self centred approach, of the gay community. As always, all too willing to turn whatever forum they can, into a massive arguament about ‘gay rights’.” 

Fry posted the petition on his Twitter account at the request of Queensland resident Mark Tweedale, as the number of signatories surpassed 10,000.

The petition should now trigger a debate in the Queensland parliament, following an assurance made by Ted Sorensen, LNP Member for the Queensland city of Hervey Bay.

The so-called “gay panic” partial defence has been invoked by defendants in murder cases trying to downgrade their charge to manslaughter.

The reasoning is that the victim had made a gay advance on his killer, and they lost control of their actions as a result.

Fry re-tweeted a request by Tweedale to publicise the efforts to ensure the law is eradicated.

The Australian asked Fry: “Do you mind RTing this? I live in Queensland and I find this law utterly disgusting.”

Tweedale said a huge spike in signature’s followed Fry’s tweet.

The actor, author, comedian and director was recently named the Twitter user with the most influence when it came to LGBT life in 2011 in PinkNews.co.uk’s end-of-year list.

Father Kelly, who was made aware of the “gay panic” defence after a man was murdered outside his church, says it is unfair and damaging to a trial that the defence can even be raised, even if it is unsuccessful.

Introducing the petition, Father Kelly says: “It is simply intolerable that anyone can rely on a defence or an excuse that an alleged homosexual advance could somehow mitigate against violence that leads to death.”

The Catholic priest added recently: “Laws like the ‘gay panic’ defence are a crucial part of legitimising and reinforcing a culture of hate which means that 73% of gay and lesbian Queenslanders are subjected to verbal abuse or physical violence for their sexuality.

“Queensland is now one of the last states upholding the idea that a person can be panicked enough by homosexual people to justify grievously bashing them to the point that they die, no matter how mild the alleged action.

“In addition, the mere introduction of this evidence arguably pollutes jury deliberations.”

8,500 today had signed Father Paul Kelly’s request to strike out the partial defence, saying it “belongs in the dark ages” and should not be allowed to be attempted at a trial.

So-called “gay panic” has been invoked by defendants in murder cases trying to downgrade their charge to manslaughter on the basis that the victim had made a gay proposition to them and they lost control.

Introducing the petition, Father Kelly says: “It is simply intolerable that anyone can rely on a defence or an excuse that an alleged homosexual advance could somehow mitigate against violence that leads to death.”

His petition was brought about after a man was killed two years ago outside his church in Marlborough.

The two defendants tried to invoke the defence, but they were unsuccessful.

While there is no straight equivalent, the non-violent gay panic defence is rarely employed successfully.

Known in England and Wales as the Portsmouth, or Guardsman’s, defence, the Crown Prosecution Service now advises: “The fact that the victim made a sexual advance on the defendant does not, of itself, automatically provide the defendant with a defence of self-defence for the actions that they then take.”

The possibility that the partial defence could be invoked prompted Father Kelly into action. He said recently: “Laws like the ‘gay panic’ defence are a crucial part of legitimising and reinforcing a culture of hate which means that 73% of gay and lesbian Queenslanders are subjected to verbal abuse or physical violence for their sexuality.

“Queensland is now one of the last states upholding the idea that a person can be panicked enough by homosexual people to justify grievously bashing them to the point that they die, no matter how mild the alleged action.

“In addition, the mere introduction of this evidence arguably pollutes jury deliberations. That’s why I am calling on the Queensland parliament and [opposition Liberal National Party leader] Campbell Newman to eliminate this law as a partial defence for murder.”

Father Kelly said the local Labor government was not prepared to go far enough, so he would call on the rest of the state parliament to make progress.

He added: “Given the failure of the Government to act, the petition is an opportunity for the Opposition Leader to take a positive step towards reducing discrimination and violence towards gay and lesbian people in Queensland.”

The issue will be raised in parliament by Ted Sorensen, LNP Member for the Queensland city of Hervey Bay if the petition can attract 10,000 signatures.

It is being hosted online at Change.org.

Sandee Crack, a stage name, said the transgender people who had complained were “dragphobic”, pointing out that he “never considered” himself trans, “and never will do”.

Libra pulled the tampon ad in question earlier this week. It featured the drag queen in a club bathroom “competing” against a woman in the mirror.

After each adjusts their mascara, lipstick and cleavage, the second woman produces a tampon from her handbag.

Sandee Crack’s character leaves the room, apparently beaten in the competition.

Libra said it regretted any offence caused, but Crack has hit back at the critics.

The Australian performer wrote on his blog: “I feel hurt that representing myself as a drag queen on television and playing out a common place scenario in my life has lead to a clear “dragphobia” among some transgendered individuals who wish to pull the plug on something that reflects true honesty about the life of a drag queen.

“A drag queen is a man in women’s clothing and if that offends a trans woman I am afraid I cannot apologise, as by doing so I am apologising for being me.”

Crack had spoken of his feeling that the ad was “a great opportunity to participate in a positive step towards acceptance for drag queens & gay men among the wider community”.

He added that the tampon manufacturer, Libra, was “sensitive, professional and accepting of my needs”, and did not give him the impression he would be depicted as a trans woman.

In June of last year, Rose White, a 64 trans woman, claimed drag acts promote negative stereotypes about trans people and encourage hatred and called for them to be banned from pride events.

In a letter to event organisers, she wrote: “Drag queens – homosexuals dressed as women – and drag kings, women dressed as men, performing as stereotypical crossdressers promote, foster and reinforce the belief among the audience that any bloke in a frock must be a homosexual.

A petition which was asking for the ad to be pulled said it was “very stereotypical and discriminates on so many levels against transgender woman and women of all kinds”.

In December of last year, Court, 69, prompted a row with other former champions after saying gays were “aggressively demanding marriage rights that are not theirs to take”.

Martina Navratilova said Australian Court had failed to “evolve” with the rest of society.

But in an interview with the New York Times this week, Court said it was the “choice” she took issue with, rather than the person themselves.

She said the threats of protest at the Australian Open, and the criticism she had received at the hands of Navratilova and Billie Jean King, who called her views “truly frightening”, was “sad”.

The 100th Australian Open will start on the 16 January and some games will be played on Melbourne Park’s Margaret Court Arena, named in the former pro’s honour.

Court insisted her comments had been taken the wrong way if people concluded she took issue with gay people rather than the “choice” of homosexuality.

She said: “I think there’s young people today that need to know it’s a choice in life. And that was my side of it, bringing that forth. I’ve got nothing against the people themselves, I’ve always said that all the years I’ve been a minister.”

Court’s comments in December has also taken account of “choice”, saying: “The fact that the homosexual cry is, ‘We can’t help it as we were born this way’, as the cause behind their own personal choice is cause for concern. Every action begins with a thought. There is a choice to be made.”

Talking to the New York Times in Perth this week, the former world number one added: “I look into the Bible, and I see that God made man for woman, and woman for man. And I said I really believe that it’s wrong, to change the laws of a marriage between a man and a woman. All that came out over the world over that!

“I think they’re trying to make this “hate” thing — I guess to bring a righteousness, or a self-righteousness.”

In 2010, a Stonewall poll of gays and lesbians found tennis was perceived to be the most gay-friendly sport.

The company said it regretted “any offence taken” to the ad, which depicted a trans woman in a nightclub bathroom appearing to compete with a gender-normative woman in the mirror.

After each adjusts their mascara, lipstick and cleavage, the second woman produces a tampon from her handbag, causing the trans woman to leave the room with the implication that she has been beaten in the competition.

The company issued a statement earlier today saying: “Libra regrets any offence taken to our recent tampon advertisement. It was never intended to upset or offend anyone.

“Independent research was undertaken and the advertisement was viewed positively during that testing.

“Libra takes all feedback very seriously, and in response to this, we will immediately review our future position with this campaign based on the feedback received. There are no further advertisements scheduled in New Zealand.

“The advertisement has not aired in Australia. The advertisement was placed on Facebook however this has also been removed.”

The ad had been criticised by members of the trans community. Cherise Witehira, president of Agender NZ, said: “It’s extremely offensive because it’s pretty much saying the only way you can be a woman is to get your period.

“That’s where a lot of the anger in the community is coming from – it’s saying you are not a woman unless you can get your period.

“Obviously we can’t menstruate. However, we identify as female.”

A Change.org petition, signed by 1,600 people, was launched yesterday calling on the company to pull the ad and issue an apology, saying it was “very stereotypical and discriminates on so many levels against transgender woman and women of all kinds”.

A counter-petition on the site, signed by 146, calls on Libra to “keep the hilarious drag queen commercial on air”, saying those trans people who objected a clear message to the world not to depict “the humorous side” of being transgender.

It continues: “Should we hide the fact that biological women menstruate in case we hurt the feelings of all non-menstruating woman around the World?

“If Libra pull this advertisement on behalf of the transgender community they are censoring the right for people to talk openly about the modern age World where you DO pump into drag queens in the toilet at a nightclub and have a giggle at each other, or find yourself having something interesting to talk about when you leave the bathroom. [sic]”

The decision is provoking a large number of comments on the company’s Facebook page, both criticising and supporting the advert.

Some have said the character on the advert is “clearly a drag queen” and those who complained were “up in arms about nothing”.

Before Christmas, US network executives said they would meet with LGBT groups over a comedy which was drawing criticism for its depiction of men dressing as women to find work.

ABC’s Work It follows two unemployed men who have “learned the hard way that the current recession is more of a ‘man-cession’ and their skills aren’t in high demand”.

Introducing the petition, Father Paul Kelly says: “It is simply intolerable that anyone can rely on a defence or an excuse that an alleged homosexual advance could somehow mitigate against violence that leads to death.”

Known internationally as the “gay panic” defence, it is invoked to attempt to show the killer acted in self-defence or under provocation.

In some cases it is alleged that the accused had latent gay feelings, and as a result reacted in an unexpectedly violent way to even a non-violent gay proposition.

While there is no straight equivalent, the non-violent gay panic defence is rarely employed successfully.

Known in England and Wales as the Portsmouth or Guardsman’s defence, the Crown Prosecution Service now advises: “The fact that the victim made a sexual advance on the defendant does not, of itself, automatically provide the defendant with a defence of self-defence for the actions that they then take.”

New Zealand repealed its provocation defence in 2009.

Father Kelly, of St Mary’s, Maryborough, told the Brisbane Times he started the Australian petition after a man was murdered on church property in 2008 and his killer attempted to invoke the defence.

He said: “I never heard of something so terrible, that there is some kind of defence that says if you make a homosexual advance then that can be used in court.”

Queensland’s Attorney General said earlier this year that provocation defence loopholes had been closed, telling the paper: “No longer can mere words alone, including gay or straight advances, be sufficient for the defence of provocation, except in the most extreme and exceptional circumstances.”

In a bid for complete clarification of the law, Father Kelly writes about the petition that attempting to introduce the defence to a jury is “highly prejudicial” and “encourages straight men to construct staged tales of a homosexual advance so they can get their murder charges reduced”.

The priest told the Brisbane Times: “The church has always defended basic human rights, it’s never said intolerance or violence should be tolerated.”

The group’s board approved an endorsement of the American Psychological Association’s resolution this summer, which gave its unequivocal support to the introduction of equal marriage rights for gay couples on behalf of its 100,000 professional members.

The resolution was based on both the positive effects on mental health which marriage equality has, and the negative effects which result from campaigns to deny couples equal marriage rights.

Professor Simon Crowe, President of the APS, said: “Decades of psychological research provides the evidence linking marriage to mental health benefits, and highlighting the harm to individuals’ mental health of social exclusion.

“The APS supports the full recognition of same-sex relationships, on the basis of this evidence.”

Dr Damien Riggs, convenor of the APS Gay and Lesbian Issues in Psychology Interest Group, said: “Marriage discrimination has a flow-on effect on same-sex attracted Australians, their loved ones, and the wider community. Psychologists must work to ensure that all Australians are supported to achieve positive mental health and full social inclusion.”

In August, the American Psychological Association called on state governments “to repeal all measures that deny same-sex couples the right to civil marriage and to enact laws to provide full marriage equality to same-sex couples”.

Rodney Croome, Australian Marriage Equality’s campaign director, said there was a “mountain of scientific evidence that same-sex partners and their families experience less stigma and stress when they can marry, leading directly to better mental health outcomes”.

He added: “It should be no surprise that those people excluded from marriage simply because of their partner’s gender can experience long-term psychological problems, given that marriage is a key legal and social institution from which many people derive great meaning and purpose in their lives.

“The APS statement sends a clear message to all federal MPs – if you support better mental health outcomes for Australian families then you must support marriage equality.”

Paul Martin, a psychologist from the Centre for Human Potential in Brisbane, said: “The APS statement illustrates what I’ve seen in my practice for over 25 years, namely that legislative discrimination against gays and lesbians fosters the kind of negative stereotypes and prejudice that lead directly to psychological stress and self-loathing”, Mr Martin said.

“The negative impact of legislated inequality is particularly bad when we’re dealing with exclusion from marriage because marriage is all about affirming and strengthening relationships and strong relationships are a key to good mental health outcomes.”

Martina Navratilova said Australian Court had failed to “evolve” with the rest of society. She has also drawn condemnation from one-time rival Billie Jean King.

Court, now 69, was ranked first in the world at the peak of her professional career in the 1960s and 70s.

She is now pastor at the recently-established Victory Life Church in Perth, which claims to teach congregants how to be “victorious” in life.

She told media in Australia: “To dismantle this sole definition of marriage and try to legitimise what God calls abominable sexual practices that include sodomy, reveals our ignorance as to the ills that come when society is forced to accept law that violates their very own God-given nature of what is right and what is wrong.

“The fact that the homosexual cry is, ‘We can’t help it as we were born this way’, as the cause behind their own personal choice is cause for concern.

“Every action begins with a thought. There is a choice to be made.”

But the gay former tennis stars, whom Court has provoked in the past by saying they were ruining the sport and setting a bad example, have hit back, with Navratilova telling TennisChannel.com: “Seems to me a lot of people have evolved, as has the Bible. Unfortunately, Margaret Court has not.

“Her myopic view is truly frightening as well as damaging to the thousands of children already living in same-gender families.

“I have tried to talk to Margaret but to say she’s completely close-minded on the issue is an understatement.”

King added that she “respectfully disagreed” with Court.

She said: “We have to commit to eliminating homophobia because everyone is entitled to the same rights, opportunities and protection.”

A poll last year found tennis to be the most gay-friendly sport in eyes of LGBT people.

Sixty-five per cent of the 700 people surveyed by Stonewall said they thought tennis was the most welcoming sport to gay fans and players.

Court’s comments came after Australia’s ruling Labor Party recently voted to endorse marriage equality.

The unnamed couple had wanted their daughter to attend Sacred Heart Primary School in Broken Hill, New South Wales. They were told their application had been rejected because of their sexuality.

But Bishop Kevin Manning intervened when he heard about the decision, saying: “There’s no way in the world one can penalise a child for what his or her parents do.

“And in this case, to penalise a five-year-old child because her parents are living in a homosexual relationship is just quite wrong.

“The thing that worried me initially was the fact that they hadn’t come to me to discuss the matter at all.

“It was only after this business exploded that I became aware of it and I have been in touch with both the school principal and the parish priests.”

As Acting Head of the diocese, Bishop Manning ensured an offer of enrolment was extended to the family, but it was not taken up.

Greens MP John Kaye told the Australian Gay News Network: “85 per cent of the school’s funding comes from the public purse. It has a moral obligation to adhere to community standards and ensure that a child is not victimised or discriminated against simply because of the sexuality of their parents.

“The school has been forced into a back down. The hierarchy was so embarrassed by the media exposure that a senior Catholic bishop has stepped in but the question remains whether each and every Catholic school in this state will be send a clear directive saying that this kind of treatment is not on,”

It has been illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation in public schooling, businesses and employment in the state of New South Wales since 1977, but private schools are not covered under the law.

Penny Wong said her partner Sophie Allouache had given birth to a daughter on Sunday morning, a week after a groundbreaking vote by the Australian Labor Party to formally support equal marriage.

She said: “Sophie and I are delighted beyond words, she’s just beautiful.

“Like all new parents know, there’s nothing like this.”

“The PM’s given me a bit of leave so I’m going to take time off and hopefully we can get the important things in life like feeding and nappy changing and sleeping under control.”

The couple first announced Allouache’s pregnancy in August, saying they had used donor insemination, and thanking the biological father “for giving us the opportunity to raise a child together”.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who personally opposes the introduction of gay marriage but has allowed her party to vote against her on the issue, said when the pregnancy was announced: “Penny Wong is a colleague of mine, she’s also a very long-term friend, so I’m very pleased for Penny and her partner Sophie as they look forward to a new baby and the next phase of their lives.

“Clearly there are strong views about same-sex marriage in the community. I’ve made my views clear.”