World
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20 October 2006Pope attacks “weak and deviant” gay relationships 3 The leader of the world's largest Christian denomination has called upon Italians to oppose moves to grant a form of civil partnership to gay and lesbian couples.The centre-left coalition government of Prime Minister Romano Prodi, elected in May, has promised some limited form of partnership legislation. -
20 October 2006Gay priest denies Foley abuse allegations + A 72-year-old Roman Catholic priest has admitted to a series of sexual encounters with a teenage Mark Foley, but denied the relationship was abusive.The Daily Telegraph reports that Fr Anthony Mercieca became close to Foley while he was working as a priest at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lake Worth, Florida, in the late 1960s. -
20 October 2006McConaughey and Armstrong – failure to launch? + Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey has denied rumours that he and seven times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong are more than 'just friends'.McConaughey joked in Details magazine: "We tried it. -
20 October 2006Iraqi gays fear for their lives 1 Homosexuals across the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, are being targeted and murdered by Islamic militants and the police.Inhabitants of the Al-Amiriya and Al-Jamia'a neighbourhoods have told of how extremist groups have raped and beheaded gays in the street and also targeted their relatives.Under Saddam's regime, gays were imprisoned. -
20 October 2006Presidential hopeful confused over gay marriage 1 With the mid-term elections only weeks away, a leading contender for the Republican nomination for President has spoken out in favour of gay marriages - and against them.Senator John McCain, seen by many gay and lesbians as the most acceptable Republican candidate for President in 2008, was answering questions at Iowa State University on Wednesday, as part of a tour of universities for MSNBC. -
19 October 2006Gay AIDS head gets Christians talking + With the swearing-in of Mark Dybul, an out gay man, as the head of the US federal AIDS programme, some Christian organisations are wondering how far acceptance of homosexuality has gone in the Bush Administration.Mr Dybul was sworn in this week as the United States' Global AIDS Coordinator, a position that carries the rank of ambassador by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. -
19 October 2006Deceased gay Congressman’s partner refused benefits + Dean Hara, 48, the spouse of deceased former Representative Gerry Studds has been told he will not get any share of Studds' annual $114,337 pension.The couple got married when same-sex marriage became legal in Massachusetts but, according to All Headline News, the marriage was not recognised by federal law. -
19 October 2006Boy Scouts lose funding for excluding gays + The US Supreme Court denied an appeal this week by a Boy Scouts affiliate that lost its rent break from the city of Berkeley, California because the Scouts exclude gays and atheists.The court, without comment, upheld a California Supreme Court ruling this March that said a city is entitled to subsidise only organisations that comply with its anti-discrimination rules. -
19 October 2006Brokeback bids reach $80k + Bidding for cowboy boots, hats and other memorabilia from gay love story Brokeback Mountain is coming to a close with top prices hitting over $80,000 so far.The auction to raise money for the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) work, ends tomorrow and has seen an "overwhelming response." -
19 October 2006Comment: Israeli ‘gay bashing’ bad for the country 23 When Israel argues its case as the "only democracy in the Middle East" its attitude to gay rights in often quoted in contrast to the plight of gays and lesbians in Arabic cultures such as in nearby Iran, but Israeli gay campaigner Yoav Sivan says growing political opposition to the upcoming WorldPride march suggests the country still has a way to go.Writing for Ynet News the LGBT Coordinator of the International Union of Socialist Youth and Young Meretz calls for gay rights to be embraced in all parts of Israel. -
19 October 2006Netherlands grants asylum to gay Iranians + Gay Iranian asylum seekers in the Netherlands will not be sent back to their home country.Reacting to pressure from human rights groups, Dutch Immigration Minister Rita Verdonk has granted gays and lesbians from Iran special asylum rights. -
18 October 2006Homophobic incidents ranked third biggest US hate crime + Homophobic attacks are still a big problem in America, human rights campaigners have warned after official statistics revealed that incidents based on sexual orientation were the third largest hate crime in the USA last year.The Federal Bureau of Investigation figures released this week show that homophobic assaults made up 14.2 percent of over 7000 hate crimes, behind race and religious hatred. -
18 October 2006Study calls for gay partner health benefits + Researchers are calling on US employers to provide health insurance to all partners after a study revealed that unmarried couples are less likely to have medical support and therefore more likely to suffer illness.The study by the Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy released today documents unequal access to employment-based health insurance for same-sex and unmarried heterosexual couples. -
18 October 2006Gay voters given election guidance 3 As the US population prepares for the Congressional elections, a gay rights group has prepared a document helping the LGBT community decide who to vote for.The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has compiled a scorecard that outlines how they have voted on GLBT issues during the 109th Congress. -
18 October 2006European Commission funding gay family support + The European Commission is aiming to stamp out homophobic violence by helping families of gays and lesbians support their relatives.The Commission has funded a two year project entitled "Family Matters Supporting families to prevent violence against gay and lesbian youth" the aim of which is to prevent violence against lesbian and gay youth by supporting their families. -
18 October 2006Ex-Chief Rabbi attacks gay pride march 24 A controversial ultra-orthodox Israeli Rabbi has joined protests against the WorldPride march in Jerusalem.Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, spiritual leader of the Shas political party and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi, has given his backing to the rally against the parade describing it as "filth." -
18 October 2006Transsexual takes Lithuania to court 1 A Lithuanian transsexual has taken his country to the European Court of Human Rights over claims that he has been blocked from completing his gender transition.The 28-year-old has been undergoing gender reassignment since 1998 including hormone treatment and breast removal, but is now being blocked from anymore treatment because of the laws in Lithuania. -
17 October 2006Gay group promotes family life + Over 200 European delegates are expected to gather in Bulgaria next week to promote the diversity of families.The meeting being held in Sofia is entitle "We are Family - Our families in Europe and the European family," it is organised by the European branch of the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) and Bulgarian gay group Gemini. -
17 October 2006Texas rounding up gay families + Gay and looking for a good place to raise your kids? You might want to consider Texas.It may sound crazy, but a study in The Gay and Lesbian Atlas concludes that San Antonio, a major Texas city, has the largest amount of queer couples with kids in America. -
17 October 2006Gay rights concern for Nepal talks + Gay rights in Nepal may become isolated as talks between the Seven Party Alliance (SPA - government) and the Maoists in Nepal continue, a local LGBT group has warned.The Blue Diamond Society has expressed concern that gay rights will be forgotten while the country discusses more controversial issues of the future of the monarchy and arms management.
