Law
- Law
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20 August 2007Frisch’s Gaydar millions left to ex-partner + Gary Frisch, the co-founder of Gaydar who fell to his death in February, left an estate worth more than £6.5m.Mr Frisch, originally from South Africa, established Gaydar with his business partner and then-boyfriend Henry Badenhorst in 1999. -
20 August 2007Major law firm settles orientation discrimination case + One of the best-known names in the 'magic circle' of law firms has settled a claim of sexual orientation discrimination.A former partner at Clifford Chance made his claim in November. -
20 August 2007New Jersey voters want gay marriage 1 A new poll suggests residents of New Jersey overwhelmingly favour allowing gay couples to marry.According to the Zogby poll, released late week, 63% of New Jersey voters would not be upset if the state's Legislature upgraded its recently enacted civil unions law to allow for full marriage equality for same-sex couples.Just 31% of those surveyed said they would be upset by such a change. -
16 August 2007Iranian teenagers spared death penalty for gay abuse 1 A court in Tehran has spared two teenagers found guilty of sexually abusing a 12-year-old boy from hanging.US gay rights activist Michael Petrelis reports that the the judges of Branch 74 of Tehran province's general criminal court ruled that the teenagers, Ahad and Milad, had not reached mental maturity and instead sentenced them to ten years in prison.In front of the five judges, the teenagers first admitted that they lured the boy into a house. -
16 August 2007Brazilian football’s gay rumours land judge in trouble + Football is for real men, not gays.That was the stance Brazilian judge Manoel Maximiniano Junqueira Filho decided to take when making a ruling in a defamation case appearing before his bench.That may be his sentiments, but the law doesn't call for that sort of ruling and now the judge could face legal actions himself.The case was brought earlier this month by Richarlyson Barbosa Felisbino, a San Paulo player. -
14 August 2007Birmingham HIV+ rapist imprisoned + A judge at Birmingham Crown Court has given two men convicted of robbing and then raping their male victim indeterminate sentences.Daniel Myers, 20, of Barry Jackson Tower in Aston, was found guilty alongside Nikos Johnson, 26, of Rawling Street, Ladywood, of one charge of robbery and two of rape.The Birmingham Post reported that during the trial Myers revealed under cross-examination that he is HIV+. -
13 August 2007Catholic church cannot sack gay headteacher 2 Legal advice given to the Roman Catholic Church has made it clear that they cannot dismiss a primary school headteacher who has entered into a civil partnership.The Daily Telegraph reports that Charles Coyne, headteacher of a church school in Liverpool, last year was legally partnered with a fellow teacher at a nearby school.Some parishoners in the local area have reacted badly, and wanted action taken against him. -
13 August 2007Ban on homosexuality in Uganda “unenforceable” + Ugandan laws prohibiting homosexual activity have resulted in no arrests of couples despite people being open about their sexuality and the fact that there are more than 160 members of leading gay organisations.According to the Monitor.co.ug, Oscar Kihika, the president of the Uganda Law Society said: "You can't just arrest someone for saying they are gay."That's like arresting someone just because he says he stole something, with no proof," he said. -
10 August 2007“Not gay enough” refugee loses his appeal + A refugee from Nicaragua who was denied asylum in Canada because he could not prove he is gay has been deemed safe to return for a second time by immigration officials.As Alvaro Antonio Orozco was not sexually active as a teenager, it was impossible to verify his sexuality.He has gone into hiding, and his only hope of remaining in Canada is an intervention from the Immigration Minister. -
10 August 2007Nigerian men could face death penalty for ‘gay marriage’ 21 18 men have been arrested at a hotel in northern Nigeria and charged with sodomy.The men, who were detained by police on Sunday, come from different parts of Nigeria and were allegedly dressed in women's clothes. -
9 August 2007Lesbian murders overshadow National Women’s Day 1 While South Africa celebrates National Women's Day, the debate about homophobia in the country has intensified since the recent murders of several lesbians.Sizakele Sigasa, 34, an activist for HIV/AIDS and LGBT rights, and Salome Masooa, 24, were discovered dead at field in Soweto, Johannesburg, on July 8th.Human Rights Watch has sent a letter to Thabo Mbeki, the South African President, stating that recent killings have highlighted that the constitution's promise of equal protection is not being fulfilled. -
8 August 2007YMCA family membership dispute not resolved + A YMCA in Des Moines, Iowa has expanded their definition of a family to include those who they consider to "function as a family," after a five-year dispute with a lesbian couple was ruled on by the city's Human Rights Commission.In 2002 Sandra Patton-Iman and her partner had their family membership revoked when a YMCA employee decided that they did not to conform to the organisation's definition. -
7 August 2007Gay flirting and homophobic abuse upset fire fighters 1 Four firefighters have filed sexual harassment charges against the San Diego fire department after they were taunted while driving a fire engine in a gay Pride parade last month.The men claim their battalion chief ordered them to ride in the July 21st parade through San Diego's Hillcrest neighbourhood, according to their attorney, Stephen Stirling.The fire fighters said they had objected to driving a city firetruck in the parade while on duty, but did so to avoid disciplinary action. -
7 August 2007US court overturns homophobic adoption law + In a 35-page decision, a panel of the U.
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7 August 2007Ex-gays win right to leaflet schoolchildren + A group who advocate 'conversion therapy' for gay people will be allowed to distribute literature to children promoting their beliefs.Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX) took a local school board in the US state of Virginia to court for refusing to distribute their leaflets to high school students.An agreement was reached last week which allows PFOX the same access as other groups to children as young as five. -
6 August 2007Suspended sentence for married woman in civil partnership 2 A mother of five children was today spared jail by a judge sentencing her for entering into a civil partnership with another woman while still married to a man.Last month Suzanne Mitchell appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court before Judge Robin Onions and pleaded guilty to breaching the Civil Partnership Act.The judge today decided that in the interests of her children he would not send her to jail.
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3 August 2007Mass gay kiss-in protest in Rome + Over a thousand same-sex couples took park in a mass 'kiss-in' last night, the second such protest after two men were arrested for 'public indecency' in front of the iconic Roman monument last week.The amorous demonstration was called by Italian gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender association Arcigay.The two men, identified only as Roberto L, 27 and Michele M, 28, were arrested by seven armed Carabinieri and held for 45 minutes last week. -
2 August 2007Gays on probation allowed to stay together + A Philadelphia judge has ruled that a gay couple banned from contacting each other while on probation have the same rights as a married couple.Daniel Mangini and Stephen Roberts, who have been together for 20 years, owned property, shared bank accounts and helped raise Roberts' young niece.They later became addicted to methamphetamine, and in 2004 were convicted of dealing 100 grams of the drug.
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1 August 2007Quebec gay couple win payout for teen harassment 2 The first gay couple to get a civil union in Quebec, Canada, have been awarded $10,000 (£4,640) after they were harassed by teenagers in their suburban neighbourhood.Since publicly denouncing threats and harassment from their neighbours with a 1,500 strong anti-homophobia march through their suburban neighbourhood, Theo Wouters and Rodger Thibault say they have been targeted."This is happening because we're an open gay couple," said Wouters, speaking to the Canadian Globe and Mail.
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1 August 2007Gay illegal immigrant can stay in Italy + Italy's Supreme Court has refused to overrule a judge's decision to revoke the deportation order of an illegal Senegalese migrant on the grounds of his sexual orientation.Italy's highest criminal court stated that "homosexuality is a condition of he human being deserving legal protection."The court announced that gay people who seek refuge from persecution in Italy would not be sent back to their countries of origin.
