World
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20 February 2007Irish parliament to debate civil unions 3 Pro-gay politicians in Ireland have said they are hopeful that new legislation granting gay and lesbian couples the right to a civil marriage will gain the approval of MPs.The opposition Labour party are introducing a bill into the country's parliament, the Dáil, tonight.The party's justice spokesman, Brendan Howlin, has revealed that government MPs have been positive about the legislation. -
20 February 2007US considered weapon to turn enemy gay 3 A spokesperson for the US Department of Defence has confirmed a report that Air Force officials proposed developing a gay conversion chemical weapon in 1994.The proposal, part of a plan from Wright Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, was to develop "chemicals that effect (sic) human behaviour so that discipline and morale in enemy units is adversely effected (sic). -
20 February 2007No miracle cure for AIDS, say doctors 1 American experts believe that although the elimination of AIDS seems unlikely, over a long period of time it is possible to work towards a lower rate of infection.Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science last weekend, Dr. -
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 2007Lesbian couple arrested for non-violent protest + Two women were removed by police yesterday from the headquarters of American Christian pressure group Focus on the Family as part of a non-violent gay rights protest.Dotti Berry and Robynne Sapp of Blaine, Washington, entered the evangelical organisation's headquarters in Colorado to join a regularly scheduled tour.Once inside, the two women requested a meeting with James Dobson, who heads Focus on the Family. -
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 2007Trans tennis star looks back at life in public eye 3 Renne Richards, a former tennis player and one of the world's most famous transsexual athletes, has admitted that she regrets the fame that she attracted.Richards made a life-changing decision in 1975 to undergo gender reassignment surgery.Talking to Reuters, she said it was the events that followed her operation that had the biggest impact on her lifestyle. -
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. -
17 February 2007African archbishops refuse to take communion 1 Seven archbishops who claim to represent more than 30 million Anglicans have refused to take Communion with Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the presiding head of the American Episcopal Church in protest of her support of gay clergy (including Gene Robinson- pictured)and gay unions.In a statement released at the Anglican conference in Dar Es Salaam, the archbishops said: "We each take the celebration of the Holy Eucharist very seriously." -
16 February 2007Jamaican mob terrorise gays 28 Three gay men were stoned by a huge mob in a homophobic attack in Jamaica this Wednesday.Police came to rescue the men from a pharmacy in Saint Andrew Parish, where they had been hiding for almost an hour.An angry crowd had gathered outside the pharmacy, hurling insults and threatening to kill the men. -
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 2007Malta transsexual given permission to marry 2 A judge in Malta has ordered government officials to issue the appropriate documentation to permit a transsexual woman to get married.The court's ruling is the first of its kind in the country, which joined the EU in 2004.The decision, taken yesterday, confirmed that as the woman had undergone gender reassignment surgery, her birth certificate should be changed to reflect her sex as legally female. -
16 February 2007Anglican church steps back from schism 3 After days of discussions, the primates of the Anglican church seem to have avoided a split over gay issues.The Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, was one of the authors of a report handed to the conference of senior church representative in Tanzania yesterday that said the American church was complying with instructions not to install any more gay bishops.Gay Anglicans welcomed the findings. -
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 2007NBA drops homophobic player 2 The retired basketball star who told the world that he "hates gay people" has been suspended from appearing at any National Basketball Association events.The homophobic remarks by Tim Hardaway have been widely reported in the United States, and follow last week's decision by another retired player, Brit John Amaechi, to come out of the closet.Hardaway's comments were made during a radio interview. -
15 February 2007Gay basketball star exposes the game’s homophobia 3 John Amaechi, the former NBA basketball player who disclosed his homosexuality last week, has been receiving threatening e-mails since making the announcement.Currently promoting his autobiography <>IMan in the Middle in the United States, Amaechi said the kind of e-mails he was sent would "make you sick."The British-born 36-year-old has been asked by American gay activists Human Rights Campaign be to their spokesman for their "Coming Out project." -
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. -
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.
