World
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9 March 2007US attitudes to gay weddings dependent on age + Younger Californians are more supportive of same-sex marriage, a study has found.According to the poll, released on Thursday, age is a crucial factor in determining who opposes orbacks gay unions.Two political scientists analysed 20 years worth of data on the subject, and discovered that while more Californians still oppose same-sex marriage than support it, the margin is closing fast. -
9 March 2007Malta delays transsexual’s wedding + The Maltese Director of Public Registry is continuing to resist the release of marriage banns for a transsexual woman and her male partner.Mr Justice Gino Camilleri ordered the director, Anthony Geraldi, to issue the banns on 12th February, on the grounds that the union between the transsexual and her partner did not conflict with any part of the Marriage Act, as she has now become a woman. -
8 March 2007Analysis: Nigeria attacks the heart of human rights + Legislation proposed by the Nigerian government last year designed to ban and criminalise same sex marriages and those who assist with it, is expected to be enacted by the National Assembly before the April 2007 elections.The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act 2007 in its current form provides that persons of the same sex and those who marry them or is a witness thereto will be committing a crime with a mandatory sentence of five years imprisonment. -
8 March 2007Turkey bars YouTube after Greek jibes 1 The centuries-long feud between Turkey and Greece took a technological turn yesterday.Internet video hosting site YouTube has become the latest battleground for patriots from the two neighbouring countries to trade insults.However, a video posting alleging that all Turks are gay, as was the modern Republic's beloved founder, Ataturk, proved too much. -
8 March 2007Catholic Church attacks gay rights bill 2 A conference of bishops has said that new legislation which will grant rights to unmarried straight and homosexual couples will weaken marriage.The new law was a manifesto commitment by the ruling leftist coalition of President Tabare Vasquez.The government of Uruguay has brought forward the new law, and it will be voted on by the lower house of parliament later this week. -
6 March 2007Bush daughter to write AIDS book + Jenna Bush is to write a book for teenagers about AIDS after working as a UNICEF ambassador.The 25-year-old daughter of President George Bush and First Lady Laura has worked as an intern for the UN organisation since the Autumn of last year.Her book will focus on the life of a teenage single mother who is HIV+ -
6 March 2007White House gay activist dies + An HIV+ man who worked as a White House aide to President Bill Clinton and spoke out against government indifference to AIDS has died aged 56.Bob Hattoy made a memorable speech to the Democratic National Convention in 1992, in which he told America that he did not want to die.He had just learnt that he had AIDS, and he castigated then-President George Bush senior for doing nothing about the disease. -
6 March 2007Italian government split on gay partnership law 4 The Italian government stands divided over a bill which would give inheritance and healthcare rights to gay couples.The centre-left coalition government covers a variety of views on the subject, many of which are swayed by the country's staunch Catholicism.One opponent of the bill is senator Paola Binetti, a member of the conservative Catholic group Opus Dei.
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6 March 2007Canadian leader tearful over anti-gay abuse + A homophobic attack by a radio host left Andre Boisclair, the Parti Quebecois party leader, clearly emotional while giving a speech on Sunday.Bosclair, an openly gay candidate for local election in the region of Saguenay in Quebec, choked up while talking about the importance of tolerance. -
6 March 2007Hillary Clinton quietly courts the gay vote + The only female contender for the Presidency of the United States made an unpublicised appearance at a gay event on Friday.Senator Hillary Clinton spoke at a lunch hosted by Human Rights Campaign, the leading gay rights advocacy group in America.However, her office did not publicise her comments and yesterday she dodged questions as to why she spoke so warmly in favour of gay rights. -
6 March 2007Riga Mayor backs Gay Pride march + The new Mayor of the Latvian capital has backed gay rights march in the city later this year.In an interview with Diena newspaper, Janis Birks said he was ashamed at events last year, when bags of human excrement were thrown at gay marchers.Last month London Pride announced they would be "twinning" with Riga Pride as a sign of solidarity. -
5 March 2007Polish government rapped by EU over gay views 1 Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski summoned his deputy Roman Giertych for talks on Monday after he spoke out against homosexuality and abortion.Giertych is the leader of the League of Polish Families, a far-right party currently enjoying coalition with Kaczynski's ruling Law and Justice party.He angered Kaczynski last week by asking the European Union to stop "homosexual propaganda" and ban abortion. -
5 March 2007Spain grants new identity rights to transsexuals + The Spanish government has passed legislation allowing transsexuals to officially change their name and gender without needing to undergo gender reassignment surgery first.Despite opposition from the conservative Popular Party, the law progressed through the country's lower legislative chamber last week.The new legislation asks transsexuals to obtain and present an official medical diagnosis outlining a clinically proven case of gender dysfunction. -
5 March 2007Sydney Mardi Gras passes off with few arrests + Fears that Australian police would target this year's Sydney Lesbian and Gay Mardi Gras parade and after-party proved unfounded. -
5 March 2007Gay politician snubs NYC for Dublin on St Pat’s Day 2 New York City Council speaker Christine Quinn, who is openly gay, has announced she will march in Dublin's St. -
5 March 2007City manager sacked over gender reassignment + A Florida city commission voted to fire its city manager just days after he confirmed his plans to return to work after undergoing gender reassignment surgery.The Associated Press reports that the commission voted 5-2 to fire City Manager Steve Stanton at a meeting attended by more than 400 citizens on Feb. -
5 March 2007War hero comes out then speaks out + The first American soldier to be wounded in the current Iraq conflict gained a sensational amount of publicity, including a visit from the President and Mrs Bush.Now Marine Staff Sgt. -
5 March 2007San Francisco Mayor vilified for “porn day” + The Mayor of San Francisco, Gavin Newsom, has been mocked after commemorating a studio that produces gay pornography.Newsom honoured the 40th anniversary of Colt studios by designating last Friday as "Colt Studio Day."The 39-year-old mayor gained international attention in 2004 when he instructed city officials to issue same-sex marriage licenses. -
5 March 2007Mexico rocked by gay pop star 3 A Mexican pop singer has announced that he is gay, becoming one of only a few public figures to have come out in a country that is traditionally conservative Catholic.22-year-old Christian Chavez, a member of the Mexican pop band RBD, revealed his homosexuality following the leaking of photographs that showed him marrying his partner at a ceremony in Canada."I don't want to keep on lying and lie to myself because of fear," he said on the band's website. -
5 March 2007Commentator causes a commotion with the F word 2 Right-wing polemicist Ann Coulter, who once called Arabs towel heads, has outraged American political class by calling a Presidential candidate a faggot.Speaking at the influential Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Friday, the publicity-seeking Ms Coulter said:"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards.
