World
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17 April 2007Maoist rebels told to stop gay bashing + The Communist Party of Nepal must stop anti-gay violence by its cadres and renounce anti-gay rhetoric, Human Rights Watch said today in a letter to lawmakers.The former rebel Maoists are now part of the Nepalese governmentIn the most recent known example of discriminatory attacks, Maoist soldiers detained a woman and a teenage girl accused of having a sexual relationship. -
17 April 2007Gay marriage stunned Canadian PM 1 The former Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, has admitted that he was "stunned" by court rulings legalising gay marriage.In 2003, the last year of Chretien's premiership, eight out of ten Canadian provinces legalised gay marriage through a series of court rulings.Gay couples have had access to most rights associated with marriage since 1999. -
16 April 2007Gay teachers too afraid to come out + A conference in Ireland heard yesterday that many gay and lesbian teachers do not come out for fear that schools would be able to discriminate legally.The country's equality laws allow schools to make judgements about whether the personal lives of a teacher might clash with the "ethos" of the institution.The annual conference of the Irish National Teachers Organisation heard other evidence about the extent of routine bulling and intimidation educators face from pupils and parents. -
16 April 2007F-word show wins gay award + A hit US TV drama which was at the centre of media attention earlier this year over a homophobic on-set argument has won an award at a gay ceremony.The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation Awards were held in Los Angeles yesterday.ABC hit show Grey's Anatomy won the category of Outstanding Individual Episode (in a series without a gay character). -
16 April 2007Changing Czechs embrace gays and rich people 1 A survey into attitudes of Czechs towards a range of groups of people shows increasing tolerance of gay people.1046 people over 15 responded to the poll. -
16 April 2007Slow passage of gay adoption in Colorado + Same-sex couples can adopt each other's children in Colorado thanks to a bill given preliminary approval Wednesday by the state Senate.The bill passed on a party line voice vote over the objections of critics who accused majority Democrats of trying to override the voters' will."This bill is about the homosexual agenda, and it's not about what's best for children," said state Senator Scott Renfroe. -
13 April 2007Gay political icon to get big screen treatment – twice + Two Hollywood directors are to make biopics of one of America's first out gay politicians.Harvey Milk's story of gay liberation and electoral success, followed by a tragic death at the hands of a jealous gunman, is likely to make a compelling movie, but Gus Van Sant and Bryan Singer are set to make very different versions of his life. -
13 April 2007Pride organiser will not be prosecuted for flower protest + One of the leaders of the Moscow Pride movement has been told he will not now be prosecuted for his actions at the banned event last year.Nicolas Alexeyev was arrested on 27th May 2006 after a group of activists attempted to lay flowers at The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a war memorial, equating the struggle for gay rights with fighting fascism.In May 2006 the city's mayor, Yuri Luzhkov, refused to issue a permit for the Pride march. -
13 April 2007Hate crimes legislation named for Matthew Shepard + A new federal law that will grant protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity in the United States is to be named after the murdered gay teenager who brought the issue of hate crimes into the American consciousness.Matthew Shepard was beaten and left for dead, tied to a fence in freezing Wyoming in 1998.He was the victim of a hate crime, targeted because he was gay. -
13 April 2007Hate group funeral protests banned 2 The Governor of Kansas has signed into law a bill aimed at stopping a homophobic church group from protesting at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq.The Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, Kansas, first gained notoriety for their noisy picket at the funeral of Matthew Shepard.Their extreme homophobia has led them to protest at the funerals of servicemen and women killed in action. -
13 April 2007Australian PM – keep HIV people out 1 John Howard, the Prime Minister of Australia, has said that people with HIV should not be allowed to migrate into the country.Interviewed on radio, the outspoken Liberal leader said that HIV+ people who came to Australia either as migrants or refugees, should not be allowed in the country. -
13 April 2007Riga Pride ban overturned + Gay activists in Latvia were celebrating yesterday after a court ruled that the decision to ban a gay Pride march in 2006 was illegal."The right of the LGBT community to organise a march has been evaluated as having more importance than the desire of some other people to push a certain community out of the public arena by means of threats and violence." -
12 April 2007Gay bishop speaks in favour of gay unions + Gene Robinson, an openly gay man whose appointment as Bishop of New Hampshire continues to cause controversy, has given evidence in favour of same-sex civil unions.Last week the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted to bring forward legal unions by a margin of two-to-one, and this week the state Senate will consider the bill."This legislation simply has nothing do to with religious bodies." -
12 April 2007Lesbians released by Nepal rebels + Two women working for an HIV/AIDS advocacy group in Nepal have been freed from a Maoist camp after a month in captivity.Dukhani Choudhary, 16, and Sarita Choudhury, 20, were taken by the rebels on March 2nd.During their detention they were interrogated about their relationship and pressured into returning to a heterosexual lifestyle.
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12 April 2007Vatican’s gay attitude criticised by French contender + A politician who is on course to become the next President of France has spoken out against the anti-gay rhetoric of the Roman Catholic church.Nicolas Sarkozy, the UMP candidate for the Presidency, has maintained a consistent lead over his main rival, the Socialist Segolene Royal.The first round of elections are held on 22nd April. -
12 April 2007Homophobic violence at Jamaica funeral + A funeral service in the Carribean island of Jamaica has been disrupted by a mob attempting to attack a group of mourners.The Easter Sunday funeral of Kirk Wayne Lester, a Jamaican businessman, was attended by "gay cross-dressers," reports Real Jamaica Radio.A mob surrounded the church and attacked people thought to be gay with knives, stones and bottles. -
12 April 2007Pink’s attack on Bush banned from radio stations + Singer Pink has spoken on American TV about her new song Dear Mr President, which has been unofficially banned from radio stations across the US.Appearing on the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, Pink said that the song, which attacks President Bush for his stance on gay rights and other policies, cannot even be discussed on air in many radio stations.She thanked the talk show host for being not afraid to let her perform Dear Mr President. -
12 April 2007Presidential hopeful’s cancer “in remission” + Fred Thompson announced yesterday that he has cancer.The veteran actor, best known for his work on TV show Law and Order, is considering running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States.In a statement, the 65-year-old said he has an indolent lymphoma which is not life-threatening. -
11 April 2007Gay adoption site sued for discrimination + One of the largest adoption websites in the world is being sued for refusing to accept a listing from a gay couple.Michael Butler and Richard Butler, who live in California, took action against Arizona-based adoption.com and its owners, Nathan and Dale Gwilliam, in December 2003.The couple have finally been given permission by a judge to go to trial.
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11 April 2007Presidential hopeful courts gay voters + Democratic candidate for President of the United States John Edwards has been showing off his support among gay political donors.Edwards has released a list of 25 LGB supporters, among them David Mixner, a gay activist who raised millions of dollars for Bill Clinton's campaigns for the White House.The former Senator from North Carolina is making a play for the gay vote in the hotly-contested Democrat nomination for President.
