Politics
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5 December 2006Anniversary protest against Ruth Kelly at No10 + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveIt was certainly a novel way to spend your first anniversary. -
5 December 2006Retro Bar first to help tackle homophobic bullying + The Retro Bar has become the first to join Stonewall's new Bar and Club Partnership scheme to raise money to tackle homophobic bullying in schools.The central London venue has committed itself to raise a minimum of £1,500 throughout the year for Stonewall campaigns including Education for All, which tackles homophobia and homophobic bullying in schools. -
4 December 2006Gay rights fear for next generation 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveAlmost half of the next generation do not believe gay people deserve the same rights as heterosexuals, a global poll has revealed.A survey for the BBC World Service looked at the views of young people aged 15-17 in key cities on issues such as climate change, terrorism, and homosexuality.One question was, should homosexuals be given the same rights as heterosexuals? -
4 December 2006Over 15,000 gays and lesbians are civil partners 8 Over fifteen thousand same sex couples have taken part in civil partnerships in the last year, the Office of National Statistics revealed today.The figures, released on the eve of the first anniversary of the Civil Partnerships Act, states that there were 15,672 civil partnerships formed in the UK between December 2005 and the end of September 2006. -
4 December 2006Minister welcomes gay partnership explosion 2 A government minister has spoken of her delight at the number of gay and lesbians entering civil partnerships.Deputy Equality minister Meg Munn called the Civil Partnership Act, which came into force last December, one of the most significant pieces of legislation introduced by the Blair government.The Office of National Statistics revealed today that over 15,000 partnerships were registered up to September this year. -
4 December 2006Lesbian wins custody of ex-partner’s kids + The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania let stand a lower court ruling awarding custody to a lesbian mother Patricia Jones because she would provide a better home than her ex-partner, Ellen Boring, the children's biological parent)."By refusing to hear this case, the Court has effectively affirmed the lower court's decision that Patricia can provide the best home for her kids," said Alphonso David, Lambda Legal staff attorney who argued the case before the Pennsylvania Superior Court. -
4 December 2006Maryland activists argue for gay marriage + In advance of oral arguments before Maryland's high court, prominent state psychologists, social workers, and child welfare advocates have spoken out in support of marriage for same-sex couples.The Maryland chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, representatives of these groups stressed extensive, consistent scientific evidence showing that children raised by lesbian and gay couples develop as well as children raised by heterosexual couples. -
4 December 2006Study reveals problems of same sex domestic abuse + More work is needed to raise awareness of domestic abuse in same sex relationships, according to a new study due to be discussed in Bristol next week.The study by Professor Marianne Hester of the University of Bristol's School for Policy Studies and Dr Catherine Donovan of the University of Sunderland, reveals that most survivors of domestic abuse do not report it to organisations such as the police and domestic abuse agencies. -
4 December 2006Gay couples leading housing market 2 Same sex couples are one of the main forces pushing the UK housing market, according to a new report.One in nine people (13%) are planning on buying a new home in the next 12 months, and it's twenty-something's (22%), same sex couples (21%) and singletons (17%) - not the traditional 2.4 child families that are driving the UK's housing market, according to new research from mortgage lender Birmingham Midshires 'Not so Average Joe' campaign. -
1 December 2006Prime Minister backs HIV fight 1 Gay men are amongst groups who get the least help because of the stigma surrounding HIV, the Prime Minister said today.Writing in the Daily Mirror, Tony Blair vowed to keep up the fight against HIV and AIDS.His remarks come on World AIDS Day, 25-years after the first diagnoses of the virus. -
1 December 2006Gay activist reveals Harmondsworth homophobia + Harmondsworth and all Britain's asylum detention centres are inhuman hell-holes that should be closed down, gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said today.He spoke after a riot at Harmondsworth asylum detention centre over conditions this week.The Chief Inspector of Prisons, Anne Owers, issued a damning report on Tuesday, describing conditions in Harmondsworth as the worst she has ever seen in an immigration and asylum detention centre. -
1 December 2006‘My Grandpa fought fascism, now the gay community must’ + The death of ex-KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko has raised questions about the state of Russian society, but gay rights campaigner, Nikolai Alekseev, has also uncovered hostile elements of homophobia simmering under the facade of democracy. -
1 December 2006Gay venues smoke free by July 2007 5 All enclosed public places and workplaces in the UK will become smokefree from 1st July 2007, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt announced today.Gay venues have already told PinkNews.co.uk that they feel they can cope with a ban, which will be introduced in Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007 and in England in July 2007. -
1 December 2006Americans urged to fight HIV 1 Gay campaigners in the US are urging people to support local AIDS organisations and to make sure political representatives push for funding and support.Today is World AIDS Day, and 2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the very first report of an HIV/AIDS case in the US by the Centre for Disease Control. -
1 December 2006Gay guide ends HIV insurance fears 1 The ABI (Association of British Insurers) has launched a new Consumer Guide for gay men on HIV and Life Insurance to coincide with World AIDS Day today.The guide explains the changes that have been made to how insurance companies deal with issues of sexuality and explodes many of the myths surrounding the treatment of gay men applying for life and protection insurance. -
1 December 2006South Africa holds first gay wedding 10 Just 24 hours after its same sex marriage laws were sealed, South Africa has had its first gay wedding.Vernon Gibbs and Tony Halls married today in the Southern Cape, making them the first couple to wed under the Civil Unions Act.The couple said they have been planning the occasion for the last eight months.
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1 December 2006HIV stigma causing ‘extreme poverty’ 1 HIV stigma and discrimination is driving people living with the virus into extreme poverty, a report revealed today.AIDS charities Crusaid and the National AIDS Trust launched a report into the rising numbers of people living with HIV in poverty to coincide with World AIDS Day this morning. -
1 December 2006Sweden upholds gay blood ban for at least a year 5 Plans to repeal Sweden's ban on gay blood donors have been delayed for at least a year.Last August, Sweden's National Board of Health and Welfare announced they would be reviewing the rule, introduced to prevent the spread of HIV, with many thinking it would be amended to allow donations from gay men who had not had sex for six months.But a medical adviser told the Board that more analysis is needed. -
1 December 2006World AIDS Day ‘focuses’ work 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe government will continue supporting efforts to prevent HIV transmission in the UK, the Public Health Minster said today.Welcoming World AIDS Day, Caroline Flint said today is an opportunity to focus on what needs to be done to tackle the virus.She warned that the UK should not be complacent about its attitude, "Here in the UK whilst we remain a relatively low prevalence country for HIV, rates of HIV are rising and we need to ensure that we reinvigorate HIV and AIDS awareness for the 21st Century." -
1 December 2006Gay students ‘ignored’ in sex education 2 On the 18th anniversary of the founding of World AIDS Day, and 25 years after HIV was identified, gay campaign group Schools Out is calling upon the government for a total re-think on its teaching policy.The group, which pushes for LGBT equality in education, claims that the government should be doing more about raising awareness of sexual health amongst school pupils.
