Interview: Peter Tatchell's 40 years of campaigning
Peter Tatchell celebrated his fortieth year of campaigning on 10th December, Human Rights Day.
The Australian-born activist began campaigning for human rights, democracy and global justice in 1967, aged 15.
Now, at 55, his eyes still have the vividness and energy of a teenager, and he has no intention to retire, because, he says, there is still much work to do.
ANC challenged over equality for LGBT South Africans
As South Africa's main political party prepares for its 52nd congress, LGBT groups have issued a manifesto asking for a clear commitment to equality.
The African National Congress, which will meet this weekend to decide the next leader of the party and its future political stance, has been asked by the Joint Workers Group to uphold the Constitution's promise of "freedom, justice and equality for all."
The ANC has been South Africa's governing party since 1994. The current party leader Thabo Mbeki is the country's President .
Swedish same-sex couples to get church weddings
Sweden's main Church said yesterday it will endorse same-sex couples to wed in church.
As the Swedish government prepares a "gender neutral" marriage law, the Church of Sweden agreed that marriage and partnership were equivalent forms of unions.
It recommended however that the term "marriage" be referred only to heterosexual couples.
Tory MEPs disrupt Euro treaty ceremony
EU leaders signed the Charter of Fundamental Rights today as some MEPs including Tories loudly protested, asking for a referendum on the reformed treaty.
During the ceremony in Strasbourg protesters shouted as Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates, whose country currently holds the European Union's rotating presidency, was speaking.
"No matter how loud you heckle and yell, today is a day of fundamental importance for Europe," he said.
Men sentenced for Dubai rape of 15-year-old boy
Two men have been sentenced by a Dubai court to fifteen years in prison for raping a 15-year-old Western boy.
One of the men is HIV positive. A third man is being tried by a juvenile court on the same charges.
Alexander Robert, of French-Swiss nationality, was in the United Arab Emirates last summer when a group of men took him to a desert, threatened him with a knife and repeatedly raped him.
Gay Swedish MP in homophobic attack
An openly gay Swedish politician was attacked on Saturday night in central Stockholm by a group of homophobic skinheads.
After leaving a nightclub, Centre Party MP Fredrick Federley was approached by a group of about six young men who began insulting him and the two men who were with him.
"Then they screamed that we were disgusting and a threat to Sweden and that they were going to beat us up," said Federley.
Ban gays from political office says cardinal
A Roman Catholic Cardinal has suggested that gay people should be banned from political office.
Latvia's Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis resigned last week and the Archbishop of Riga Janis Pujats warned new candidates not to support LGBT related issues.
He asked that all candidates running for the post of Prime Minister state whether they intended to "defend the Latvian nation against the invasion of homosexuality in public life."
Anglican gay rows harm relations with Rome
Divisions over sexual ethics could be harmful in the relations between the Anglican Church and the Catholic Church, a cardinal in Rome said.
Speaking to the Pope and cardinals in a private meeting three weeks ago Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for promoting Christian unity, said that there were disagreements with the Anglicans that had stalled talks.
"While progress is being made on theological divisions, new divergences are emerging in the ethical field," he said.
Fruit flies study raises questions about homosexuality
A new scientific study at the University of Illinois has found that genetic manipulation in fruit flies can "turn" their homosexual behaviour on and off within a few hours.
Biologist David Featherstone said that his team had discovered a "gender-blind" gene in fruit flies which could be altered with drugs, turning them bisexual.
"The gender-blind mutant males treated other males exactly the same way normal male flies would treat a female," he said.
Holland to fight for global gay rights
The Dutch government has announced that it is determined to fight discrimination against gay and lesbian people both at home and abroad.
Last month the Dutch Cooperation Development minister, Bert Koenders, said in a letter to the Parliament that in its foreign relations "the Netherlands will promote equal rights for gays as much as possible."
The centre-left government has also announced it would also tackle rising homophobia at home.
Desmond's new theory on causes of male homosexuality
A new book by a well-known British academic suggests that some men are gay because they don't break with other boys during childhood and retain some of their juvenile characteristics when they become adult.
In The Naked Man: A Study Of The Male Body, Desmond Morris questioned why "a certain percentage of adult human males, with or without the approval of society at large, find members of their own gender attractive."
HIV+ navy priest gets two years for sex crimes
A Catholic Navy chaplain was sentenced to two years in jail on Thursday for forcible sodomy and failing to tell his sex partner that he was HIV positive.
John Thomas Matthew Lee, a priest since 1993 and a military chaplain since 1996, decided to plead guilty before a military court at Marine Corps base Quantico in Virginia.
The plea agreement, which included informing the authorities about every sex partner he ever had, meant that ten of the initial twelve-year sentence was suspended.
"Royal blackmail plot" man refused bail
One of the two men charged with attempting to blackmail a minor member of the Royal Family was refused bail at a hearing at the Old Bailey today.
Ian Strachan, 30, was arrested along with Sean McGuigan, 40, in October after police mounted a sting operation.
They are alleged to have demanded £50,000 not to release a video showing an aide to a member of the Royal Family discussing engaging in oral sex with his employer.
Lesbians dual parent rights case before Israeli Supreme Court
An American-Israeli lesbian couple who weren't registered as dual mothers of their son despite a Court's ruling, will bring their case before Israel's Supreme Court.
On Sunday Nicole and Ruti Berner Kadish's case will be represented in Jerusalem by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) before a panel of nine High Court judges.
The judiciary will be asked to order the Interior Ministry to continue executing a 2000 ruling.
Russian court rejects more appeals from Pride activists
A court in Russia today rejected the appeal of gay activists requesting that a ban on this year's gay Pride be considered unlawful.
Moscow City Court confirmed the decision of a local district court, which had upheld the city government's decision to ban the march.
Moscow Pride 2007, the second proposed LGBT event in two years to be held in the Russian capital, was scheduled for May 27th but never happened because of the city mayor's decision to ban it.
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