Politics
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20 February 2007Transsexual MP stands down + Georgina Beyer, the first transsexual MP to be elected in New Zealand, has retired from her post.Beyer is also a Maori, and so a minority in more ways than one. -
20 February 2007Cameron’s poll surge ahead of Brown 1 The Conservative party leader is thirteen percentage points ahead of expected Prime Minister Gordon Brown, according to the latest opinion polls.David Cameron polled 42% in an ICM poll for The Guardian yesterday to 29% for Brown.The government's gay rights record has been under scrutiny in the last month. -
19 February 2007Prodi conciliatory as Pope attacks again 2 The Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has promised to repair the relationship between his government and the Vatican after a fall-out over proposals to afford legal rights to same-sex partners.Prodi will meet today with Cardinal Tarcisio, Pope Benedict XVI's chief aide, and Cardinal Camillio Ruini, head of the Italian Bishops conference, to discuss church-state relations, the International Herald Tribune has reported.Church-state relations remain frosty following Pope Benedict XVI's latest attack on the proposed legislation to recognise gay couples. -
19 February 2007Pioneering lesbian activist Gittings dies + An iconic figure in the American gay rights movement, Barbara Gittings, has died aged 74.Gittings helped found the New York chapter of lesbian rights organisation Daughters of Bilitis in 1958, and was one of the first openly gay women to gain media attention.She was also instrumental in persuading the American Psychiatric Association to stop viewing homosexuality as a mental disorder in the 1970s. -
19 February 2007China’s first gay marriage protest + On Valentine's Day, Beijing's gay population protested for same-sex marriage to be legalised. -
19 February 2007Mayor pleads innocent to heterosexism 1 A former Cambridge mayor has been accused of "heterosexism" after he asked for more family homes to be built.Liberal Democrat Councillor John Hipkin, who has a gay brother, told the BBC that he took "deep exception" to a complaint made to Cambridge Council over his demand for more family housing.Hipkin currently represents Cambridge's Castle ward and was first elected in May 1992. -
19 February 2007Report shows grim gay existence in Nigeria + Nigerian LGBT people opposed to a new anti-gay law in the country have spoken about their experiences in a report for the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC).Voices from Nigeria details homophobic attacks, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and increased levels of homophobia that have already begun as a result of the introduction of the legislation, referred to as the Same-Sex Marriage Prohibition Act.The Act launches a vigorous attack on freedom of expression. -
19 February 2007New Jersey grants civil unions from today + The American state of New Jersey has become the fifth state in the nation to grant marriage rights to same-sex couples.A new law, which was enforced across the state today, allows gay and lesbian couples to apply for a civil union and benefit from the same legal protection that heterosexual couples enjoy.However, the new unions are not identified as a marriage. -
16 February 2007Gay Iraqis face continued persecution 1 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has promised to crack down on the persecution of gay people in Iraq.The slaughter of gay Iraqis by Islamist death squads is yet another tragic consequence of the chaos and carnage in this beleaguered country.It would seem that no-one is safe from fundamentalist militias, who target Iraqis for "crimes against Islam," which might include drinking alcohol, having a Sunni name, or not being veiled if you are a woman. -
16 February 2007Clock ticking on gay discrimination regulations 1 The controversial Sexual Orientation Regulations, the source of a battle with the Roman Catholic church over adoption and a Cabinet row, should be published next week.A spokeswoman for the Department of Communities and Local Government confirmed to PinkNews.co.uk that they expect the regulations will become law by April as promised.The new rules protect gay, lesbian and bisexual people from discrimination when accessing goods, services and facilities. -
15 February 200780% of Italians defy Vatican over partnership rights 4 A poll has revealed that an overwhelming majority of Italians approve of the government's proposed legislation that will grant some rights to unmarried couples.Last week the Cabinet unanimously approved the new legislation, which also grants rights to unmarried heterosexual couples.Now a survey for newspaper La Repubblica has found strong support for the measures. -
15 February 2007Gays and alcoholics the same, says Moscow + A high-ranking official in Moscow has joined in the growing debate over the city's refusal to allow a gay rights parade this year.Georgy Muradov, head of the city's international relations department, yesterday likened homosexuality to alcoholism and argued that both are "bad for one's health."His remarks came as he tried to fend off criticisms from the Swedish ambassador of the city's decision to ban a Pride march. -
15 February 2007Gay rights row influences Labour deputy race + The Education Secretary, Alan Johnson, has had his candidacy for the deputy leadership of the Labour party endorsed by a string of ministers.Many of the middle-ranking MPs had warm praise for the tenacious way Johnson stood up to the Prime Minister in defence of gay equality laws.Last month Mr Blair and the Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly were at the centre of a cabinet row over anti-discrimination legislation. -
14 February 2007Nigeria elections could swing new anti-gay law 1 A committee of the Nigerian parliament met today to conduct a public hearing into the proposed new legislation that will imprison people for being gay or having gay or lesbian sex.With elections for the Presidency, Senate and House of Representatives in April, gay rights activists fear that politicians will put populism above human rights. -
14 February 2007Proposal to outlaw homosexuality in Russia has “no support” 4 The organiser of Moscow Pride has said that an attempt by a maverick deputy in the Russian parliament to re-instate Soviet-era sexuality laws is certain to fail.Nikolai Alexeyev, who was arrested by police at last year's banned Pride march, spoke to PinkNews.co.uk from Berlin, where a documentary about the event is being premiered.Alexeyev, a lawyer, dismissed concerns that Russia may return to the situation where homosexuality was illegal -
13 February 2007Former Mormon missionary runs for President + Mitt Romney, ex-Governor of Massachusetts and staunch opponent of gay marriage, has today officially announced a bid for the Republican party's candidacy for President of the United States.Speculation about his intentions has been rife since he first resigned from the post of Governor in 2005.Massachusetts is the only state in America to have legalised gay marriage. -
13 February 2007MEPs highlight homophobic bullying in school + Members of the European Parliament from across the EU are to present a written declaration on combating homophobic bullying as new research shows that kids across the continent are being victimised.The MEPs have chosen Valentines Day to highlight the extent to which LGBT teens in all EU countries experience abuse and intimidation at school.Research by gay rights group ILGA Europe and their youth wing examined social exclusion among LGBT kids in Europe. -
13 February 2007Ukranian gays face fight with parliament 1 The leader of Committee on Human Rights of the Ukrainian Parliament has called homosexual people "perverts" and said that a fight against them is needed.Mr. -
13 February 2007Presidential hopeful’s pledge on gay rights + Segolene Royal took the race to succeed Jacques Chirac as President of France in a fresh direction yesterday, launching a 100 point manifesto for France under her rule.The 53-year-old socialist party candidate for the presidency would become France's first woman president if elected.She pitched her reform programme to a 15,000-strong rally just outside Paris yesterday. -
12 February 2007Obama says he is running for the White House 2 Senator Barack Obama has officially declared that he is running for President.The charismatic American politician said that he does not think either race or religion will be defining factors in the choice of the next leader of the free world.In an interview with PA the junior senator from Illinois, who has been publicly supportive of gay rights, said that being mixed race was not a disadvantage.
