In an interview with Attitude magazine, the couple spoke of the “challenges” facing the family.

Their first son, Zachary, was born on Christmas Day 2010. His godmother was later confirmed to be Lady Gaga.

Of baby Zachary, Furnish tells Attitude: “I think he’s going to have a lot of attention thrust upon him.

“He’s going to be potentially doubly stigmatised, because one of his parents is extremely famous and because he comes from two dads.

“We’ve taken advice from counsellors. We’ve put a whole scrapbook together about his creation, the people who were involved in the process and how the intent was about love. We’re going to raise him to be proud of who he is.”

Last year, John spoke of the “happiest months” of his life being a parent, but warned of the dangers facing gay youth.

Writing in the Guardian, the musician said parenthood was a “blessing” and “an awe-inspiring responsibility”.

He concluded: “And we’re determined that he’ll grow up in a world different from the world that we grew up in ourselves.”

John announced in January that a “surreal” biopic of his life was “very much in the works”. 

LISTAG has secured nearly $10,000 of its $40,000 target and secured a matching grant which will double donations.

The group was formed in 2008 and now runs as a solidarity and support network for friends, families and especially parents of LGBT individuals, actively working against homophobia, transphobia, discrimination, and hate crimes.

In the documentary, seven parents are interviewed in their homes in Istanbul on their experiences of raising gay and trans children.

A LISTAG spokesperson told PinkNews.co.uk “We felt the need to make this documentary, because it is very important to be heard by as many people as possible in this homophobic, transphobic society where our voices usually are not being heard.

“People do not know or understand what we have been going through and mostly ignore the situation.

“We thought that we should have a voice. People should know what we and our children go through in this part of the world and that a different world is possible! We think that if we talk as parents, it is easier for people to understand what would happen if one day their children were to come out to them as LGBTs.

“As you can imagine it is not easy for us to be in front of the camera as parents of LGBTs in such a homophobic and transphobic society where our children have to struggle even when expressing their sexual identities.”

The Republic of Turkey has never criminalised homosexuality, but there is no protection for gay or trans people in employment, education, housing, health care, public accommodations or credit and no domestic partnership or marriage rights for gays.

In 2009, a Turkish man was put on trial ‘in absentia’ for the death in his son, thought to have been an ‘honour’ killing.

Selma Aliye Kavaf, State Minister Responsible for Women and Family sparked protests in 2010 when she said: “I believe homosexuality is a biological disorder, a disease. It needs to be treated.”

This week it was announced that a case had been lodged at the European Court of Human Rights against Turkey for the criminalisation of gay sex in Northern Cyprus.

Visit LISTAG’s Indiegogo fundraising page or the group’s website for more information on the film.

The notorious church will attend the funeral of the Charlie and Braden Powell in Tacoma, Washington.

Margie Phelps, son of the church’s head Fred Phelps, tweeted that after gay marriage legislation in Washington was passed God had “cursed” the state by having Josh Powell kill his sons in a fire.

She said the picket would “remind” Washington Governor Christine Gregoire that the boys had died “because of her rebellion”.

In January, Gregoire gave her support to proposed equal marriage legislation for Washington which has now passed through the state’s senate and house of representatives.

She said last week: “As governor, I believe the state of Washington cannot be in the business of discrimination. As an American, a wife and mother, marriage equality is fair, just, and right. And it is time.”

Governor Gregoire is expected to sign the equal marriage bill into law on Monday.

A thousand people joined a Facebook event to “create a buffer” between the protesters and the funeral.

Occupy Seattle said it would also protest against Westboro.

The funeral is due to take place tomorrow morning.

Rabbi Yehuda Levin, who is not related to Chaim Levin, was reacting to the latter’s experience of reparative therapy for same sex attractions, which was republished on PinkNews.co.uk last week.

The New York rabbi wrote to the Jewish Press: “Chaim Levin’s recent article and appearances on video and Jewish radio provide ample evidence of an agenda far more wide-ranging than merely opposing bullying and reparative therapy.

“It’s an exact duplication of the militant homosexual activist playbook: Desensitize society through constant discussion of homosexuality, urges, etc. Create feelings of guilt in others by exaggerated, unsubstantiated claims of Jewish homosexual suicides due to “bullying,” discrimination, etc. Gain public sympathy by using the media, and then solidify gains by forming organizations like Jewish Queer Youth.”

He said Jewish philosophers had described Amalek, enemies of the Jews, as “practitioners of homosexuality”.

He wrote: “Rambam rules that one who is tempted to sin disguise himself, sin secretly and act the hypocrite in public so as not to desensitize society to sin. Urging youth to join in a group that identifies itself with Amalek-type behavior reinforces negative self-identification and more often than not results in sinful misbehavior.”

The rabbi questions whether a group could be formed in an Orthodox synagogue of adulterers or the incestuous.

He says such groups would be “spiritual oxymorons and would constitute a fifth column in the Torah community”.

Rabbi Levin concludes: “I have tremendous sympathy for those challenged by temptations and unkosher desires. As you do with cancer, you never stop trying to find a better treatment to cure yourself. If all therapies fail, as a last resort you use chemicals to stop the urge to act in a forbidden manner. (This resolution is ordered by European courts for offenders and it works.) Unpleasant, surely; but better than committing adultery, homosexuality or incest.”

Chaim Levin told PinkNews.co.uk today: “Many people have told me we should ignore people like Rabbi Levin, but this time he shot at me personally by responding to my article. This time I said I’m sick and tired of these people. The public may not be listening to Rabbi Levin, but they are hearing him.

“It’s enough for one gay teen to hear what he says and consider committing suicide. I find it deplorable that people would call him a rabbi. He’s a bigot, he’s extremely dangerous, hurtful and reckless and it’s about time the public started telling him this is not OK.”

Rabbi Levin is well-known for his anti-gay views; his blog describes Mitt Romney as a “dangerous homosexualist”.

Rabbi Ariel Friedlander, co-convenor of the Jewish LGBT forum Keshet UK, told PinkNews.co.uk: “The Torah tells us that every human being is made in the image of God. Homosexuality is not a disease, it is how God made me. There are Jewish communities, rabbis and groups who behave in the image of God in that they love and respect every human being. This is not a disease or any kind of illness, this is part of human nature.”

Rabbi Levin’s attack comes during ongoing debate about so-called ‘gay cures’. The chief rabbi of Amsterdam’s Orthodox Jewish community was recently reinstated after accepting he should not have signed a ‘gay cure’ declaration with his official title. A north London Jewish School, JFS, was criticised for showing students a slide about ‘gay cure’ organisation Jonah in a lesson about homosexuality. In response, ex-students, including PinkNews.co.uk founder and Channel 4 News correspondent Benjamin Cohen recorded ‘It Gets Better’ videos about being Jewish and LGBT.

In her column in the Daily Express last week, Ann Widdecombe questioned the lack of availability of therapy for “gays who do not want to be gay”.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, said ‘gay cure’ attempts do not “produce harm despite the Royal College of Psychiatrists and others maintaining the contrary”.

Chaim Levin blogs at http://gottagivemhope.blogspot.com/ and tweets at @chaim89

Here you can hear people speaking proudly of themselves as being Kurdish, of their identity, culture and language. It is both ancient and modern, an oriental city enclosed by magnificent Roman walls and beyond the new Ofis district city beaming with social and cultural life. The Turkish military is always omnipresent, and mentioning Diyarbakir to most Turks in Istanbul will raise a few eyebrows and strike up negative images of street clashes, the PKK (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party which has been in an armed struggle with the Turkish state since 1984) and protests.

The LGBT community in Diyarbakir struggles for space and recognition and the local organisation, Hebûn does its best to help. There are no bars or cafes that are specifically aimed at gay or trans people. Instead the organisation formed small social groups to meet at members’ homes. This is done to avoid the frequent discrimination and harassment in the mixed venues. Hebûn aptly means ‘to reappear, to come back into existence and life’ in Kurdish, and this group indeed plays a vital function here.

Hebûn is trying to find an office space and desperately seeking funding from various NGOs and LGBT organisations in the west of Turkey. So far they have had no success. Privately funding an office space is problematic because most openly gay, bi and trans people are forced into limited employment options such as sex work, although some have managed to run their own small businesses.

We attended a screening of the much-celebrated Zenne Dancer. The film tells the (real) story of Ahmet Yildiz, a young Kurdish gay man who left Diyarbakir to Istanbul to live his life honestly and openly only to be murdered by his father for ‘shaming’ the family. The cinema was packed full with people standing on the aisles for lack of space. The film touched the audience in Diyarbakir deeply.

We interviewed Arif, one of the founders of Hebûn who did not wish to give his second name, and started by talking about the film.

‘There was a piece of us in each of the characters,’ he said. ‘I am in the same situation as Ahmet Yildiz: If I was honest, I would be killed by my family.’

When did the Hebûn group come into being?

Hebûn LGBT was founded in March 2010, when the previous group in the area, Hevijn disbanded. Hebûn is different from Hevijn because we are more proactive in our political activism. We currently have around 30 active members, and we are looking to raise the awareness, both locally and nationally of LGBT. We had some media coverage about our work and have taken part in the Istanbul Pride march last summer.

What are main issues that you think are affecting the lives of LGBT Kurds?

When Turkish LGBT have one problem, Kurdish LGBT will automatically have two. Your identity is rejected twice, and you have to fight for both your ethnic and sexual identity. We must gain acceptance from the LGBT community for being Kurdish, and from the Kurdish movement for being LGBT. Neither want to fully support us, although we support both ourselves.

How is Hebûn LGBT funded?

We are funded by our transgender members’ work in the sex industry and from our personal funds. Although we have applied for various funding grants from Istanbul and Ankara, nobody has accepted our application and we haven’t heard anything from anyone.

Is there any risk to you personally, being one of the founders of Hebûn?

Yes, most of us have homes raided by police, thinking we are sex workers. The police are often abusive to us and we have no legal support from any organisation.

There is also the risk that our families will find out about us and our work. None of us are ‘out’ to family members, and we are constantly trying to hide our real selves from them. The younger members sometimes have to stay with friends as to escape from their families. My father would kill me if he found out that I’m gay, he’s a very religious man who has lived in Saudi Arabia for many years.

Does Hebûn LGBT have a Kurdish nationalist agenda also?

No, we are not a nationalist organisation, although sometimes their (Kurdish political parties) objectives run alongside those of our own, against the Turkish authorities. There is little awareness of LGBT rights within the Kurdish nationalist movement. We are also connected with several Iraqi Kurdish LGBT activists and organisations, and we help them in contacting groups throughout Turkey, as they do with us in Baghdad and Iraq.

Are you aligned with any other local groups, such as women’s rights groups or children’s associations?

Yes, and we have found this to be very positive. Some of our members work with local and national women’s rights groups, and sexual health advocacy organisations. We have found that there’s a lot of support, and more acceptance from within the women’s rights groups.

Would you consider making a publication in Kurdish, detailing your work, and local/national LGBT news, such as Hevijn did in the past?

We are looking to do this, although it’s very difficult to find the funding. Our first priority is to find an office space from which to base ourselves, and have a free STI center within this. We hope this will become a reality soon.

Do you think that the majority of LGBT Kurds from the south-east migrate to bigger cities in the west of Turkey?

I’d say that around 90% leave Diyarbakir and other Kurdish areas to live more openly life in Istanbul, Izmir or Ankara. But we won’t go, we want to live in our city and have a free life, so we will stay and fight for it.

There isn’t anywhere to openly socialise in Diyarbakir, and the authorities are always putting pressure on sex workers and effeminate people in the city. The biggest problem is that trans people are very limited in their work options, especially in such a conservative environment.

Watch the trailer for Zenne Dancer below:

Openly gay agent Todd Krim had tweeted about Cruise’s team, the New England Patriots, losing at the Super-Bowl.

Cruise reportedly publicly wrote back to Todd Krim: “That was a gay a** f*****g tweet… You don’t say shit like that about my team the second they lose. Low.”

Krim. who had been helping actor Tom Cruise’s adopted son get DJ gigs, then wrote back: ‘Ummm ok Dude I was f**king joking.”

He reportedly wrote a public email saying: “I am no longer working with Connor Cruise.

“In fact, I am no longer speaking with [him ...] I refuse to be professionally (or even personally) associated with someone that engages in this sort of behavior.”

But the storm had blown over yesterday when he tweeted: ‘Everyone @theconnorcruise apologized to me for his texts which I accept so the matter is closed as far as I’m concerned. Let’s move on!’

Cruise was not the only sender of an ill-judged Super-Bowl tweet. Roland Martin has been suspended by CNN for his tweet about smacking a man who enjoyed David Beckham’s underwear advert.

Connor Cruise is one of two children adopted by Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman during their 1990-2001 marriage.

Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays & Gays (PFOX) says it aims to “eliminate negative perceptions and discrimination against former homosexuals”.

A PFOX spokesperson said the official’s comments amounted to illegal discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

Montgomery School Superintendent Joshua Starr had been urged to stop the group from distributing the ‘ex-gay’ flyers which said such people “demonstrate that those with unwanted same-sex attractions can seek help and information on overcoming their feelings.”

Superintendent Starr said the school was legally bound to allow the group to spread their message, as it is with all non-profit organisations, even though the group’s message that sexuality can be changed is rejected by medical professional bodies.

He reportedly told students: “This group has figured out how to use that law to spread what I find to be a really, really disgusting message, frankly.”

The group distributed 8,000 flyers at five Montgomery County schools this week.

Regina Griggs, executive director of PFOX said: “We call on the Montgomery County Board of Education to enforce its Nondiscrimination Policy and censure Starr immediately.

“The Policy mandates that schools provide ‘an atmosphere where differences are understood and appreciated, and where all persons are treated fairly and with respect in an environment free of discrimination and … abuse.’ Clearly Superintendent Starr has violated the Board’s Policy.

“Starr’s verbal abuse, disrespectful behavior, and slurs against the ex-gay community amount to hate and illegal sexual orientation discrimination, which are all forbidden by the Policy.”

The group Truth Wins Out wrote an open letter to Starr saying: “While non-profit literature must not be blocked based on viewpoint, it can and should be prohibited if it contains blatant misinformation that jeopardizes the health and well being of students.

“The PFOX flier easily fits this description and the group has a dubious history that includes bizarre and bigoted practices that have no place in your public school system.”

Truth Wins Out is the group which infiltrated the clinic of former presidential candidacy hopeful Michele Bachmann’s husband, Marcus Bachmann.

The school board wrote back: “Although we cannot stop the distribution of such fliers, we in [Montgomery County Public Schools] are committed to promoting values of diversity and acceptance in our school system by teaching students how to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate information.

“Please rest assured that we in Montgomery County Public Schools are always extremely receptive to the community and towards promoting a culture of the twenty-first century.”

PFOX’s website says the “demonisation” of ex-gays “is a sad end to the long struggle for tolerance by the gay community. That ex-gays and their supporters are now oppressed by the same people who until recently were victimized themselves, demonstrates how far the gay rights movement has come.”

So-called gay cure treatments have been making headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

In her column in the Daily Express last week, Ann Widdecombe questioned the lack of availability of therapy for “gays who do not want to be gay”.

She argued that if a gay person wants to change their sexuality, professional help should be available to them, despite there being no scientific evidence for it and numerous medical bodies’ warnings against it.

Lord Carey, the former Archbishop of Canterbury, backed the appeal by Lesley Pilkington, who was found guilty of malpractice by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy last year.

He wrote to the BACP, which is hearing the appeal, with other bishops to say that ‘gay cure’ attempts do not “produce harm despite the Royal College of Psychiatrists and others maintaining the contrary”.

A regional Jewish paper prompted outrage after publishing an opinion piece on the issue which said while ‘gay cures’ may not always work, medical procedures fail and “patients are still encouraged to try them”.

It said democratic processes required that it be debated, but that it was not part of the country’s legislative agenda to pass it.

Uganda already criminalises gay acts with a penalty of life imprisonment, but it is understood the bill would expand the range of punishable offences.

David Bahati’s bill, described by Barack Obama a “odious”, originally called for the death penalty for “aggravated”, or continued, homosexuality.

AP reports the death penalty clause has now been removed. In its place is life imprisonment for a person convicted of a gay act more than once.

The bill further required the death sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality who is living with HIV or who has been convicted of homosexuality before.

Attempted homosexuality would carry a seven year prison sentence, as would aiding or abetting acts of homosexuality.

A fine of up to 500,000 shillings (£135) or a prison sentence up to three years are included for people who are aware of any gay offence but do not report it within 24 hours.

The Ugandan government statement said: “As a parliamentary democracy the process of debate will continue.

“Whilst the government of Uganda does not support this bill, it is required under our constitution to facilitate this debate.

“The facilitation of this debate should not be confused for the government’s support for this bill.”

The network said the tweets sent out by political commentator Martin, who is a regular guest on CNN shows, were “regrettable and offensive”.

A statement said: “Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated. We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland will not be appearing on our air for the time being.”

The black-and-white advert showed Beckham only in underwear to promote his new line.

It aired during the National Football League’s championship game, which over 100 million people watched.

Roland Martin tweeted to his 90,000 followers during the game: “If a dude at your Super Bowl party is hyped about David Beckham’s H&M underwear ad, smack the ish out of him! #superbowl”

In response, GLAAD said “advocates of gay bashing” had no place at CNN, where Martin is a regular commentator.

Martin retorted that his jibe came about because Beckham was a soccer player, not an American football player and was not about gays.

He wrote on his website later that it was “furthest from the truth” that he would support violence or bullying towards gays and that he “sincerely regretted” any offence cause by his tweet.

6,600 people had signed GLAAD’s petition calling for CNN to stop inviting him onto network shows.

The network did not say how long Martin would be suspended.

The applicants lost their case after the court found Sweden had not violated their rights to free speech.

The National Youth leaflets said homosexuality was a “deviant sexual proclivity”, had “a morally destructive effect” on society and was responsible for the spread of HIV and AIDS.

They also claimed the “homosexual lobby” was trying to play down paedophilia.

In 2004, Tor Fredrik Vejdeland, Mattias Harlin, Björn Täng and Niklas Lundström had handed out about a hundred leaflets or left them in the lockers of pupils at a school in Söderhamn.

They were asked to leave by the principal and later convicted under Swedish law of agitation against a national or ethnic group.

Exhausting domestic courts, they appealed to the ECHR on Article 10 of the European Convention of Human Rights, that their rights to free speech were infringed and, under Article 7, that they were therefore unjustly punished. The court rejected both claims.

It found the statements constituted serious and prejudicial allegations about gays and that the group had effectively forced them on students by leaving them in personal lockers.

The first three applicants were given suspended sentences and fines ranging from approximately €200 to €2,000 and the fourth applicant was sentenced to probation.

In January, three British men were found guilty of distributing leaflets intended to stir up hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Five Muslim men had stood trial at Derby Crown Court on the newly-created charges, which carry a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Ihjaz Ali, Kabir Ahmed and Razwan Javed had distributed a leaflet entitled ‘The Death Penalty?’ outside their mosque ahead of a gay Pride parade. It contained an image of a mannequin hanging from a noose and quoted Muslim texts. They are due to be sentenced tomorrow.

The law would take effect 90 days after the governor Christine Gregoire signs the bill. But opponents have vowed to fight gay marriage with a ballot measure, similar to California’s Proposition 8 that would give voters the opportunity to overturn pro-gay legislation.

Yesterday, the US 9th District Court of Appeals found that Proposition 8 broke the United States constitution. Although the court has jurisdiction over a number of states, including Washington, its decision was limited to California.

Before the state legislature’s session began this year, Governor Gregoire announced her support for the move at the capital, Olympia.

She told a press conference: “It is time in Washington state for marriage equality. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Our gay and lesbian families face the same hurdles as heterosexual families: making ends meet, choosing what school to send their kids to, finding someone to grow old with, standing in front of friends and family and making a lifetime commitment.

“For all couples, a state marriage license is very important. It gives them the right to enter into a marriage contract in which their legal interests, and those of their children if any, are protected by well-established civil law.”

Last week, she posted a video message to YouTube where she said: “As governor, I believe the state of Washington cannot be in the business of discrimination. As an American, a wife and mother, marriage equality is fair, just, and right. And it is time.”

Coffee giant Starbucks has been among multi-nationals based in Washington state to back the draft legislation.

A statement from the Seattle-based hot drink titan says it was “proud” to join other Washington-based employers like Microsoft and Nike as support for equal marriage brews in the state.

But reports say the city legislature has now approved the delayed second reading of the bill 31 to 6 and reportedly increased fines tenfold.

St Petersburg would join other Russian regions including Ryazan and Arkhangelsk in hindering the promotion of homosexuality in public.

The region of Kostroma recently approved a similar law and Moscow is rumoured to be considering such a move.

Russian activist Nikolay Alekseev was fined by the authorities in Arkhangelsk this week under that region’s rules forbidding the public “promotion” of homosexuality to minors.

Russia’s second largest city came under international condemnation last year for plans which would “silence” the gay community, and to treat the offence of public promotion of being gay in the same was as it punishes the promotion of paedophilia.

263,000 people have now signed All Out’s petition against the city law, a petition which drew attention to similar laws in other regions of the world’s largest country.

A second reading of the bill was indefinitely postponed in November 2011 but has now gone ahead, passing with overwhelming support.

Ria Novosti reports that the law now makes the offence punishable by fines of up to 500,000 roubles, ten times the amount tabled in November.

After a third and final reading, the bill would be signed into law by the city’s governor.

In November, Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, said he was “perplexed” by a US statement condemning the proposed law.

He said the US State Department’s comments were “incorrect”.

Interfax reported him as saying: “We are perplexed by the American side’s attempts to interfere in the legislative process in Russia, especially publicly.

“We consider these attempts inappropriate and inconsistent with the practice of interstate relations.”

The UK’s Foreign Office had described the draft law as “wrong” and “mistaken”.

Organisers Romance Writers Ink said they do not condone discrimination and recognised the new rule in their More Than Magic 2012 competition about gay entries was “highly charged”.

The rules had stated the competition would “no longer accept same-sex entries in any category” of the romance-writing contest.

The competition was to offer a grand prize of up to $495 (£310) and works could be entered in a range of romance categories including paranormal, historical and ‘sensual contemporary’, so long as the romance was heterosexual.

Author Kari Gregg described to the Guardian the response she received after asking the organisers to explain the rule: “RWI chapter members were uncomfortable with accepting same-sex contest entries. ‘Same-sex was just too much.’”

“The arrogant presumption that their behaviour was OK infuriated me as a professional, who (reasonably) expected her work to be considered with the same courtesy and respect afforded to every other romance book, but also as a parent of a LGBT young adult.

“Both the professional and the parent responded with an immediate, ‘how dare they?’”

A statement on RWI’s site says: “After much consideration, RWI regretfully announces the MTM Published Author Contest has been cancelled. All monies and books received from entrants will be returned as soon as possible.

“We have heard and understood the issues raised, and will take those concerns into consideration should the chapter elect to hold contests in the future.

It adds: “Please note: our contest coordinator, Jackie, is a chapter member who graciously volunteered to collect entries and sort by category. It is unfortunate that she has become the object of personal ridicule and abuse.

“We recognize the decision to disallow same-sex entries is highly charged. We also opted not to accept YA [Young Adult] entries. We do not condone discrimination against individuals of any sort.”

Conservative MEP for London Marina Yannakoudakis MEP had written to Turkish Cypriot leader Dr. Derviş Eroğlu condemning the arrests, calling for charges to be dropped and asking for a moratorium on further arrests.

A challenge at the European Court of Human Rights of the anti-gay laws in the unrecognised state was announced yesterday.

Marina Yannakoudakis’s office said Dr. Hasan Güngör, an advisor to Dr. Eroğlu, had responded to her today saying the men had not yet been charged and the leader is not able to impose a moratorium on arrests.

In Dr. Güngör’s letter, the advisor states: “Contrary to what has been insinuated in the media, no charges have so far been brought against the two men with respect to same sexual relations.”

He continues: “The police investigation on that incident is ongoing and once the investigation is completed, the Attorney General’s Office will make the necessary legal evaluation and decide on the charges to be brought against the accused.”

On forbidding any future arrests under the law, Dr. Güngör wrote: “The legislation in force does not authorize (Dr. Eroğlu) to impose a moratorium on arrests under section 171 of the Criminal Code, or to ‘suspend’ the implementation of any law.”

However, Dr. Güngör stated that measures to repeal the anti-gay law were before the relevant committee and were awaiting assessment by the relevant authorities.

Dr. Güngör also made clear that “The European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) prevails over domestic law”.

The letter also says Dr. Eroğlu “stands by his promise that, once the legislative process is completed he will sign the amending law that will repeal the relevant sections of the Criminal Code to end the criminalization of unnatural offences”.

Northern Cyprus declared itself an independent state in 1983 but has not had international recognition.

Marina Yannakoudakis MEP said today: “I am pleased to receive such a speedy reply to my letter to Dr. Eroğlu’s office. Recognition by the authorities that the European Convention of Human Rights applies in the north part of Cyprus means that by prohibiting private consensual homosexual acts the north is in violation of Article 8.

“I am also pleased to note that Dr. Eroğlu intends to ‘stand by his promise’ to repeal the ban, although I am disappointed that an immediate moratorium has been rejected.

“Nevertheless I am concerned that, while no official charges have been brought against the two men detained on 29 January, that these men remain under investigation.

“Also I was informed by the north-based Initiative Against Homophobia that they are currently being held in punishment cells in Nicosia Central prison. I hope that if the north part of Cyprus is to demonstrate its commitment to human rights, that no further charges will be brought for homosexual acts.”

Libya dominated the headlines last year, but the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of the country received very little attention internationally.

I interviewed Khaleed, a 31-year-old LGBT activist about his life in the North African country. In this first part he talks about his life before the overthrow of Muammar el-Gadaffi. Later this week he’ll be speaking about what has changed and what hasn’t since the revolution.

“There are absolutely no groups, organisations or even individuals in Libya that speak publicly about gay rights, the subject itself is a social and religious taboo. But this doesn’t mean that LGBT people do not exist, on the contrary some people are known and recognised as gay within their communities,” he tells me.

“Libyan law has a penal code against ‘men having sex with each other’ which could lead to a 5-years imprisonment [Section 407.4 of the Libyan Constitution]. However, I never heard of publicly documented cases of men being charged under this penal code, and, to my disappointment no efforts were made by any human rights or LGBT rights organisations either to investigate potential cases, nor discuss LGBT rights in Libya.”

In fact the only documented case to my knowledge was one I reported on 25.12.2010 when two men were arrested for “indecent acts,” with minimal information and despite many efforts no further information regarding this case was obtained.

Most LGBT people use the internet in Libya to socialise, exchange ideas and arrange to meet – especially through the gay social networking site Manjam, its one of the few ways available for them to explore their identities and sexuality. Yet even here, in virtual cyberspace, they are not safe.

“My personal experience as a gay man in Libya hasn’t been easy. I was investigated by policemen for having an online profile on manjam. Officers from the internal security agency during Qaddafi’s regime came to my home and outed me to my family which caused huge problems. I took me over two long years before I managed to work things out with them.”

For Khaleed the whole episode was terrible and frightening: “I was interrogated by the criminal investigation bureau for thirty long minutes, but which seemed like eternity. I was then ‘ordered’ to stop meeting people through manjam because ‘there are people there who have contacts with foreign intelligence networks’.”

“After the investigation I removed my previous profile but stayed in touch with all the contacts I have made before. But to my horror I found out that the government’s security agency was monitoring my calls and online activities. Furthermore, they hacked into my personal email and showed all my correspondence to my mother, which made me refrain from accessing any LGBT and political online sites for a while.”

For all the pious talking by politicians in the West about liberating Libya, Khaleed wants to underline the following: “I just want to say something to readers in Europe and North America:” he stresses; “The technology to monitor the internet and entrap people like me fighting for Human Rights unfortunately comes from governments and companies in the West.”

Khaleed is not entirely sure why his internet accounts were hacked and investigated but he has his suspicion: “It seems to me as a police response to previous commentary I made about human rights in Libya, and because of my participation with several liberal and secular discussions on websites that were considered to by anti-regime. The reason I feel this way is because I have heard of no similar investigation been or being made against some of my friends or acquaintances.”

In part two, I speak with Khaleed about the revolution as well as his hopes and fears for the new Libya.

On the episode of her show set to air in the US tonight, Ellen tackles the opposition by One Million Moms which called for her to be sacked for being gay.

The group had accused JC Penney of jumping on the “pro-gay bandwagon”.

DeGeneres jokes: “For those of you are just tuning in for the first time, it’s true. I’m gay. I hope you were sitting down.”

On One Million Moms, she continues: “This organization doesn’t think I should be the spokesperson because I’m gay.

“They wanted to get me fired, and I’m proud and happy to say that JCPenney stuck by their decision to make me their spokesperson. Which is great news for me because I also need some new crew socks. I’m really going to clean up with this discount.”

On the claims made by One Million Moms that JC Penney was jumping on a ‘bandwagon’ she says: “First of all, being gay or pro-gay isn’t a bandwagon.

“You don’t get a free ride anywhere. There’s no music. And occasionally we’ll sing ‘We Are Family’ but that’s about it.”

She also confronts the claim that a majority of shoppers would go elsewhere when faced with a lesbian, questioning how much support there was for One Million Mom’s views.

37,700 people have now signed a GLAAD petition backing the retailer’s hiring of DeGeneres.

DeGeneres concludes: “I usually don’t talk about stuff like this on my show, but I really want to thank everyone who is supporting me.

“Here are the values I stand for. I stand for honesty, equality, kindness, compassion, treating people the way you’d want to be treated and helping those in need.To me, those are traditional values. That’s what I stand for. I also believe in dance.”

DeGeneres also welcomes the decision by the US 9th Circuit Appeals Court that California’s Proposition 8 gay marriage ban was unconstitutional.

“The what?”

“AMF,” he repeats, “it’s what everybody here drinks.”

“Right then,” I shout to the bartender behind the counter, “one AMF please. Whatever that is.”

Clearly I must have looked even more helpless than I felt to elicit such eager help from a stranger. Then again it isn’t the first time on this trip that a local’s interest levels suddenly perk up after he notices my English tones. For many Americans a foreign accent appears to be as irresistible as catnip.

Right now I am crammed against the counter of Pure, a Friday gay club night hosted at the otherwise straight Club Sound, and the place is filled to the gunwales. Unlike the tight-knit layout of European gay villages where different clubs and bars are usually within easy walking distance of each other, in Salt Lake, Utah (or SL, UT as I affectionately call it), venues are decidedly more spaced out. Only three of the dozen or so gay hotspots can easily be reached by foot from Pure. For anywhere else you have to get in your car and drive, or take a taxi. And considering Utah’s zero tolerance approach to drinking and driving it usually comes down to the latter. Forget about legal limits, driving in Utah after you’ve drunk anything with more kick than a Coke can land you in seriously hot water.

Back at Pure it didn’t take long for me to regret my own choice of drink. The pint-size glass that is being pushed in my direction now is filled to the brim with a concoction of toxic-coloured blue booze of seriously dubious origin.

“It’s called Adios Motherf**cker because after you drink it it’s bye-bye,” explains Shane. The two of us randomly met the previous night and Shane has kindly offered to act as my unofficial guide for the evening. “You’re gonna love it!”.

Had I known exactly what the club’s signature drink entailed, I might have been slightly more reluctant to follow the recommendation of a complete stranger earlier at the bar. Clearly there wasn’t going to be any more driving for yours truly tonight.

Oozing with queer cred

Salt Lake City, or simply Salt Lake as locals call it, is best known to many for its ties to the Mormon faith. After all, the city is the headquarters of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with its 14 million global members and is also home to the world’s largest Mormon temple. But as my visit to the Utah capital has been progressing I’ve found it a refreshingly liberal and open minded city. Probably because unlike small-town Utah, Salt Lake itself boasts a non-Mormon majority among its 1.12 million residents.

In fact, the Salt Lake gay scene has moved forward with such great strides in recent years, that the city was recently crowned by The Advocate as the gayest city in America (beyond the obvious megalopolises of New York City, San Francisco and the likes). According to The Advocate, who based their list on “per capita queerness”, the far-less-oppressive-than-it-used-to-be Salt Lake City has now earned its queer cred and deserves its spot at number 1 judged by their “totally accurate if decidedly subjective criteria”.

Getting here is also much easier than you might think. If you happen to live near any of the major airports in the UK you will have no shortage of flight options, most of them with just one stop-over in the US. I opted to fly with Lufthansa so as to include a shopping trip in New York. Although it might not be possible to shorten the time of the actual flight, Lufthansa has one nifty way to help the time pass more quickly – it is the only airline to provide high speed internet access on transatlantic flights with connection costs starting at just £9. So whether you want to update your Facebook status, line-up some Statesides meet-ups through Gaydar and Grindr, or stay abreast of business emails, you can do all that and more aboard Lufthansa flights while merrily cruising at 40,000ft. From New York, suitcase crammed full of New York bargains of course, it was only a short flight onboard JetBlue to Salt Lake City, jetting off from the airline’s exclusive and impressively modern Terminal 5 at JFK airport.

Shooting fish the Mormon way

According to Shane, who can’t believe how little progress I have made with my AMF (I’ve barely dented it), the inescapable presence of the LDS Church does have its advantages.

“Those repressed Mormon boys are so easy to bang it’s like shooting fish in a barrel,” he grins when I ask him what it is like to live a city with such strong religious links. “Mix that with the gorgeous mountains and perfect sunsets every night and little Salt Lake is a slice of heaven.”

And he does have a point. Salt Lake certainly has its appeal: A decent gay scene, impressive shopping and striking sights, including as many Mormon-related attractions as you could wish for in one lifetime. But it is the spectacular natural attractions right on its doorstep that appeal even more to many of its visitors.

Take Park City for instance. Located just 30 minutes from downtown Salt Lake it hosts the prestigious and star-studded Sundance film festival every year and is home to three world-class ski resorts and some of the finest slopes in North America. Blessed with nearly 150 inches of light powdery snow every year it isn’t hard to understand why this picturesque ski village with its historically preserved Main Street played a key part during the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics. This month the village will host a decidedly more rainbow-coloured event when Elevation Utah rolls into town for its second annual gay ski week, starting on February 23rd.

Hitting the great gay outdoors

Fancy something a little more rugged? Then best head south towards Moab, some 230 miles from Salt Lake, and the heart of the American West. Billed as the adventure capital of Utah, Moab is located between two spectacular National Parks and one stunning State Park. The rugged terrain and expansive landscapes of the Desert Southwest stands in strong contrast to the Rocky Mountains, and begs to be biked, hiked and explored in a dozen other ways. Arches National Park is an unmissable destination here, with its wealth of over 2,000 natural red sandstone arches, including the iconic Delicate Arch which has graced the cover of many a travel guide.

Regardless if it is rock climbing and hot air ballooning you’re after, or if you lean more towards speed boating and off-roading, there is no shortage of adrenalin-filled activities for outdoor enthusiasts in Moab and its surrounds. Be sure to time your visit carefully though. Summer temperatures in these arid parts can hit scorching highs of 40°C and more while the mercury can plummet as low as -15°C during the winter months. Even in spring and autumn Utah mornings and evenings often have a bite to them because of the generally high elevation of the state, though midday temperatures are normally in the region of a very pleasant (and usually sunny) 25°C.

Homeward bound

Two days after exploring the fruits of Salt Lake’s nightlife with Shane, it is time to jet home again. All too soon. Despite the relative brevity of my homebound Lufthansa flight (it takes less than eight hours to travel from JFK back to Europe), the quiet of the cabin gives me the perfect opportunity to reflect on my trip.

Like any major city Salt Lake isn’t without its own set of problems, many of it linked directly or indirectly to the Latter-day Saints Church. Despite Shane’s notion that the Mormon Church ensures a fertile hunting ground, its “love the sinner not the sin” rhetoric has been linked to some cases of homophobia in the Utah capital. But beyond these isolated instances and underneath that perfectly pristine Mormon image is a city that rewards you handsomely with a virtually unrivalled outdoors playground, buckets of charm and surprisingly open-minded locals.

Travel Toolbox

Where to stay: Centrally located within walking distance from downtown Salt Lake and major attractions like historic Temple Square, the Red Lion Hotel Salt Lake is an excellent option with great value for money. It boasts 393 well-appointed rooms, a fitness studio and a pool for the hot summer months. Especially attractive is the Red Lion’s free shuttle service, which isn’t just handy for airport pick-ups and drop-offs but also when setting off to explore the city’s gay hotspots and shopping offerings. A worthy alternative is the Salt Lake Hilton, also located in the heart of downtown Salt Lake.

How to get there: While there are more direct options to get to Salt Lake, yours truly opted to fly with Lufthansa from Manchester to New York for a spot of Manhattan shopping before continuing the journey to Salt Lake. In 2011 New York became Lufthansa’s first A380 destination in North America, and the airline also debuted its brand new First Class cabin on this route.

Once in the US few airlines can rival the offering of JetBlue and their expansive route network. Despite being positioned as a low-cost airline, there is nothing cheap about the JetBlue experience other than the airline’s fares. Expect plush chairs, oodles of leg room, unlimited donuts and the friendliest cabin crew around for miles. Not surprisingly JetBlue boasts a long ream of awards including Top Low Cost Airline for Customer Satisfaction and Best US Budget Airline.

General: Utah’s dedicated UK website www.goutah.co.uk as well as their general www.visitutah.com website provide a wealth of information to help plan your trip and to make the most of your time in the Beehive State. For more information about Moab visit the official www.discovermoab.com tourism information website. 

The landmark ruling is just the latest twist in the battle over same sex marriage in the state.

In May 2008, the state’s supreme court ruled that Proposition 22 passed in 2000 and other statutes that limit marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman violated the equal protection clause of the California Constitution.

By June of 2008, a new voter initiated proposition, Prop 8, a new ban on gay marriage, overturning the earlier ruling had received 1.12 million signatures in support. On the same day as Barack Obama was elected, just over seven million Californians voted in favour of banning same sex marriage, compared to six and a half million voting to retain it. During the time that gay marriage was legal, more than 18,000 gay couples got married during the time that same sex marriage was legal.

In 2010, following a lengthy public trial, effectively appealing the decision of voters, Judge Vaughn Walker has ruled that the voter-initiated Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in California, is unconstitutional.
Judge Walker ruled that Prop 8, as it has become known, violates the equal protection clause in the United States constitution by denying gays and lesbians the right to marry a member of the same sex.

Supporters of Prop 8 appealed his decision and today a three-judge panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled 2-1 that Judge Walker’s decision was correct.
“Although the Constitution permits communities to enact most laws they believe to be desirable, it requires that there be at least a legitimate reason for the passage of a law that treats different classes of people differently,” the ruling of the court states.

Supporters of Prop 8 also claimed that Judge Walker was biased as he did not disclose that he was gay when conducting the trial. The Court of Appeals ruled that he was not required to make such a disclosure.

The 9th Circuit’s decision only applies to California, although it holds jurisdiction over Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregan and Washington. The govenor of Washington state recently said she will sign legislation to introduce gay marriage.

“Ever since the beginning of this case, we’ve known that the battle to preserve traditional marriage will ultimately be won or lost not here, but rather in the US Supreme Court,” Andy Pugno, general counsel for Protect Marriage said.

The governor of California Jerry Brown posted on Twitter: “The court has rendered a powerful affirmation of the right of same-sex couples to marry. I applaud the wisdom and courage of this decision.”

David Bahati, the original sponsor of the legislation that would see gays imprisoned for life and executed for repeat offences, has tabled the draft law again, reports say.

Clauses call for the death penalty for “aggravated” or continued homosexuality, while those who fail to report incidences to police would be jailed.

The Anti-Homosexuality Bill is designed to “protect the traditional family” and also requires Uganda to not ratify any international treaty that would run contrary to its provisions.

It provides for life imprisonment for people who have gay sex, “touch another person with the intention” of having gay sex or have an illegal “gay marriage”.

The bill further requires the death sentence for anyone convicted of homosexuality who is living with HIV or who has been convicted of homosexuality before.

Attempted homosexuality carries a seven year prison sentence, as does aiding or abetting acts of homosexuality.

A fine of up to 500,000 shillings (£135) or a prison sentence up to three years are included for people who are aware of any gay offence but do not report it within 24 hours.

The bill received worldwide condemnation from countries, gay rights campaigners and human rights groups.

Last month, the former president of South Africa, Thabo MBeki, criticised the anti-gay bill, saying it “doesn’t make sense” to intervene in people’s private lives.

Mr Mbeki was taking questions at the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) in Kampala when he was asked about the draft legislation and specifically what he would say to its sponsor.

Mbeki, who served as deputy President and President of South Africa following the abolition of apartheid, said: “I would say to the MP; sexual preferences are a private matter. I don’t think it is a matter of the state to intervene.”

“I mean what would you want? It doesn’t make sense at all. That is what I would say to the MP. What two consenting adults do is really not the matter of law.”

US President Barack Obama described it as “odious”.

The move, by the Human Dignity Trust, follows reports that Northern Cyprus’s anti-gay law continues to be employed despite assurances given by its leader that it would be repealed.

Cyprus was required by the ECHR to decriminalise consensual sex between consenting adults in 1993, but in the Turkish-occupied part of Northern Cyprus, homosexual acts are still illegal.

The case has been filed against Turkey, which the Trust said is responsible for protecting and promoting human rights in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Gay acts in Turkey have been legal since the Ottoman Empire of the 19th century.

The challenge, brought on behalf of an anonymous plaintiff, asserts that the laws violate his private and family life and that the resulting discrimination he suffers amounts to inhuman and degrading treatment.

Commenting today, human rights barrister and Chief Executive of the Human Dignity Trust Jonathan Cooper said: “The fact that homosexual relations remain criminalised in Northern Cyprus is a violation of international law and the rulings of the European Court of Human Rights.

“Criminalisation of identity puts people beyond protection of the law. This is not an issue of gay rights but one of upholding universal human rights. More than 80 legal systems across the globe continue to criminalise homosexuality – almost half the countries in the world.”

The Human Dignity Trust, an international organisation which uses law to decriminalise homosexuality across the globe.

The case is supported by the Northern Cyprus LGBTI organisation, the Homofobiye Karsi Inisiyatif (Initiative Against Homophobia).

The legal team, led by Nigel Pleming QC, includes Northern Cyprus lawyer Oncel Polili and Tom Mountford.

Instructing solicitors are international law firm Taylor Wessing LLP, who will be working pro bono.

Paul Callaghan, partner at Taylor Wessing LLP, said: “We are delighted to work on a pro bono basis with the Human Dignity Trust for such an important cause. This case highlights a clear breach of the international human rights law and we hope to see the legal, as well as moral, obligations addressed in the judgment.”

The Homofobiye Karsi Inisiyatif added: “All of our efforts to amend the law have been futile and Turkish Cypriot authorities are reluctant to show any good will. Despite the promises to amend the law authorities still charge people with this archaic law. The situation shows that Turkish Cypriot authorities have no courage to defend human rights.

“We are very pleased to show a good example of international solidarity with our work together with the Human Dignity Trust.”

Earlier this month, Conservative MEP Marina Yannakoudakis criticised the arrests in Northern Cyprus after the region’s leader Derviş Eroğlu had told her draft repeal legislation had been drawn up.

She said: “Dr. Eroğlu has twice promised me that the northern part of Cyprus would repeal the ban on homosexuality. I have so far taken him at his word, but now he needs to back up these words with deeds.

“There must be an immediate moratorium on arrests under Section 171 and the men arrested last month must be released without delay. Draft legislation submitted by the Communal Democratic Party must be fast-tracked through the assembly to ensure that there are no further miscarriages of justice and Dr. Eroğlu must keep his promise to sign the repeal into law.”