Politics
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26 September 2006Black gay group “troubled” by slavery defence + An African-American gay group has called on an organisation claiming to convert gay people back to heterosexuality to justify its beliefs after one of its members launched a controversial defence of the slave trade.The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) was outraged by Gerald Schoenewolf, a member of the National Association of Research Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), after he posted comments about political correctness on the "ex-gay" group's website appearing to justify slavery. -
26 September 2006Northampton gives “Kiss Goodbye to Homophobia” 1 Northampton's gay community along with LGBT supporters across the country overcame homophobic threats to hold an anti-homophobia event last weekend, PinkNews.co.uk reports on the evening.At 2.30 am on July 15th 2006, Michael Fardon finished his drink at the Boston Clipper in Northampton and set off home. -
26 September 2006Peter Tatchell attacks ”double standards from Labour” + Peter Tatchell used the Green Party annual conference LGBT fringe meeting last week to launch a fierce attack on what he calls Labour's 'double standards,' calling on the public to complain to their MPs, the Equalities Minister and Tony Blair.Mr Tatchell, OutRage! activist, speaking at Hove Town Hall on Saturday 23rd September described Labour as blowing hot and cold over gay rights. -
26 September 2006Gay rights highlight for Blair career 1 Tony Blair has listed greater equal rights for the gay community as a highlight of his tenure as Prime Minister.Speaking at his last Labour Party conference, he referred to "changes for gay people denied equal rights," pointing out the way his party has changed Britain since coming to power in 1997. -
26 September 2006Search for gay HIV man who infected partner goes abroad 2 The hunt for a man convicted of "recklessly" infecting his lover with HIV has gone international.Mark James absconded before he was sentenced last month, and police are now considering that he may be abroad, possibly in France.Launching a nationwide search last month, Acting Detective Inspector Mike Sunman, of Hounslow Police, described James as a danger to public health, and appealed for help in tracing him. -
26 September 2006Cashman praises “brilliant” Blair conference speech 1 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveGay Labour MEP Michael Cashman has heaped praise on Tony Blair's final conference speech this afternoon.The former EastEnder turned West Midlands MEP said it was "brilliant" that the Prime Minister mentioned the gay and lesbian community in his address and also included himself and partner Paul Cottingham in the pre-speech video talking about the repeal of Section 28. -
26 September 2006EU gay group welcomes Bulgaria and Romania + PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveBulgaria and Romania's accession into the European Union has been hailed as a good way of ensuring they come into line with the rest of Europe's standards, members of the European Parliament's Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights (IGLR) said today.The Eastern European countries are believed to have fulfilled the political body's requirements to gain entry in January 2007, on the basis that immigration is controlled and that Sofia and Bucharest curb problems of organised crime. -
25 September 2006GPA decision ‘victory for common sense’ 9 Gay campaigners have welcomed the decision by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) today that the Gay Police Association (GPA) will not be prosecuted for a controversial advert linking religious statements to homophobia.The decision relates to an advert placed by the GPA in the diversity supplement of the Independent in July 2006 which said: "In the last 12 months, the GPA has recorded a 74% increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator." -
25 September 2006Comment: Gordon Brown outlines leadership credentials 1 PinkNews.co.uk's Tony Grew analyses how much Gordon Brown's Labour Party conference speech signifies his leadership credentials.Gordon Brown has staked his claim on the premiership with an outstanding speech to the Labour party conference in Manchester.His address was overshadowed by Blairites telling anyone who would listen that Brown cannot win the next election. -
25 September 2006Tears expected as Blair’s last party conference begins 1 Don't have time to sit at home and watch the party conferences live? Tony Grew gives us a quick guide to the week ahead at the Labour party conference in Manchester, with some tips on the key speeches and some analysis of the New Labour way of holding a conference.The Labour conference was kicked off yesterday by rival TV interviews from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
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25 September 2006Gay father’s childcare criticised + Britain's first gay surrogate fathers have attracted criticism from child welfare agencies after posting pictures of their children on the popular LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) website Gaydar.The millionaire couple Barrie Drewitt, 39, and Tony Barlow, 42, have been criticised for posting pictures of their children on a website used by many in the LGBT community as a way of networking and seeking casual sex. -
25 September 2006Comment: Ming, Monkeys and Minorities 19 Couldn't be bothered to watch the LibDem conference last week? Shame on you. -
25 September 2006Swedish Greens risk funding homophobia 1 Sweden's gay community has expressed concern after a Green Party member affiliated to the country's Muslim Council was elected to the Swedish Parliament.Mehmet Kaplan gained a seat at last week's election but has been criticised for his connection to the Muslim Council where he is a press spokesman, after the group's chairman Helena Benaouda recently announced a desire to restrict marriage to man and woman. -
22 September 2006USA: compulsory AIDS tests for teenagers and adults + In a major shift of policy, the USA federal government recommended yesterday that all teenagers and most adults have H.I.V. -
22 September 2006LA LGBT victory over Buju Banton 7 The LGBT community has again ensured the cancellation of a gig by murder music advocate Buju Banton.Following reports earlier this week on PinkNews that pressure was growing to cancel Buju Banton's gig in Boulder Colorado, a Los Angeles nightclub has now led the way by scrapping a scheduled performance by the Jamaican reggae star. -
22 September 2006Zimbabwe Government legislates against LGBT community + The Gay and Lesbian Association of Zimbabwe (GALZ) has been banned by the Zimbabwean government from attending a United Nations (UN) human rights workshop.The workshop which started in Kariba on Thursday is expected to lay the groundwork for the creation of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission. -
22 September 2006Gay rail passengers risk ‘colluding with homophobia’ 4 PinkNews.co.uk ExclusiveThe gay community may risk funding its own persecution after a company owned by an anti-gay activist took over one of the country's biggest rail franchises, campaigners warned today.Bus and train operator Stagecoach was this morning awarded the franchise to run South Western trains, which operates from gay hotspots such as Brighton and London Waterloo, but gay rail passengers have expressed concern regarding the company's chief exectuive Brian Souter, who previously funded a campaign against repealing Section 28. -
21 September 2006LibDems urged to encourage gay MPs 19 The Liberal Democrats must include lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) MPs in their commitment to equality and making the party more representative, campaigners have warned.Speaking at the party's annual conference in Brighton this week, Ben Summerskill, chief executive of gay charity Stonewall told a fringe meeting of DELGA, the LibDem's LGBT lobby group, that a motion passed by members to improve the representation of women, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, should also cover the gay community. -
21 September 2006Conference to address “hidden” HIV poverty link + Links between extreme poverty and HIV will be addressed today at a conference aimed at combating what campaigners are calling a "hidden problem''.The conference will bring together social workers, welfare workers, and staff from the HIV sector. -
21 September 2006Scotland less equal for LGBT 1 The Scottish Executive has backtracked on gay hate crime legislation , according to Scottish LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) group Equality NetworkEquality Network highlights that in October 2004 the Scottish Executive's Working Group on Hate Crime recommended to the Executive that they should introduce a 'statutory aggravation' so that a crime motivated by hate on grounds of sexual orientation, would be treated as an aggravated crime, and sentenced accordingly.
