The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

PinkNews logo surrounded by illustrated images including a rainbow, unicorn, PN sign and pride flag.

PinkNews brings you a roundup of news from the past seven days.

Here are some of the most widely read, and notable news stories from the past week which you may have missed.

Lionel Blair claimed he “can’t bear” the idea of two men getting married.

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

The actor and dancer said: “I can’t bear it, I’m afraid. Look, if people want to live together, fine. And I do believe in civil partnerships. But marriage is between a man and a woman.”

He added: “The world has changed. What has happened to my beautiful England?”

Production of a Freddie Mercury biopic stalled over script problems

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

Bad news for anyone hoping to see the much-discussed Freddie Mercury movie any time soon – even leading man Ben Whishaw doesn’t know if it’s still happening.

The James Bond star said: “I don’t know what’s happening, it seems to be on the back-burner. There were problems getting the script working.”

An out Liverpool councillor discovered someone impersonating him on Grindr to offer sex for cash

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

21-year-old independent councillor Jake Morrision revealed the “bizarre and disturbing” incident, in which someone using his photos approached men on the hookup app to offer sex for £40.

He said: “I am a politician and for somebody to use my pictures and pretend to be me in this way is damaging to my reputation and is very serious.”

Christian rock star Vicky Beeching came out as gay

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

The singer-songwriter and TV personality came out as gay, proclaiming: “What Jesus taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love. I feel certain God loves me just the way I am”.

Ms Beeching also had a run-in with US pastor Scott Lively, who offered to cure her homosexuality during a live Channel 4 discussion.

Facebook donated $10,000 to a Republican fighting same-sex marriage

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

It emerged that Facebook made a large donation to the primary campaign of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who is currently fighting against same-sex marriage in court.

The social network defended its decision to donate to Reyes, who has pledged to “spend whatever it takes” to stop same-sex marriage in the state.

Tory MP Michael Fabricant called for an end to the ban on gay men giving blood

The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

The Conservative MP called for a change to the policy, which bans men who have sex with men from giving blood if they have had sex in the past 12 months.

He warned: “In January last year, parts of England and Wales came within three days of running out of a blood group. With outdated, illogical and unequal rules for blood donation, such crises are likely to recur.”

A performance artist claims he will have sex with different man every day for a year

Russian-born Mischa Badasyan will attempt to sleep with 365 men, starting from September.

The Berlin-based artist will use Grindr and Scruff to help him with the project, which he says is about exploring the idea of loneliness and ‘non-places’.