The lesbian sister of the anti-gay-marriage Australian opposition leader Tony Abbott has said in an interview that he has a ‘huge heart’ and ‘he listens to people’.

Despite mass public rallies in support of gay marriage in Australia, Liberal leader Abbott has stood firm in opposition to allowing same-sex couples to marry.

And his refusal to allow Liberal and National MPs a conscience on same-sex marriage means bills in parliament legalising same-sex marriage probably won’t get passed.

Advocates for gay marriage in Australia are calling on supporters to gather in cities across the nation on Saturday to call on politicians not to leave the country behind.

Australia is the only country in the English-speaking developed world where both the head of the government and the leader of the opposition are against same-sex marriage.

Lady Gaga has launched her own social networking site, featuring chat rooms, message boards and photo sharing.

The Little Monsters site, which went live yesterday (9 July), describes itself as a 'community full of art, acceptance, monsters and Gaga'.

Once signed up, fans of the Born This Way singer can share pictures, discuss different topics and talk to other users in one of the many chatrooms, including one for 'Gay Monsters'.

Gay singer Sam Sparro has said he wants to collaborate with gay icon Kylie Minogue.

In a recent interview with UK entertainment website Digital Spy, the ‘Black And Gold’ singer says watching the pop princess in her latest music video inspired him.

He said: ‘I want to do a track with Kylie. ‘Timebomb’ is a great track and the video is very 90s in the best possible way.’

Retired judge Michael Kirby reached the pinnacle of his profession and served on the High Court of Australia for 13 years, but despite this he said today that he is a 'second-class citizen' because he can't marry his partner of 43 years.

Aussie pop princess Kylie Minogue proved to fans her bum still looks good in hotpants when she was spotted riding a motorbike through the streets of London's Soho district.

The pint-sized singer braved the wet weather in the UK capital last night (19 April) to film the video for her new single in Chinatown.

Minogue is known for showing off her peachy bottom, famously wearing a pair of gold hotpants in the video for Spinning Around in 2000 and was once again seen showing off her best asset, dressed in skimpy denim shorts and sporting a retro leather jacket.

Australia’s Coalition leader and head of the Opposition has lauded his sister for bravery in coming out, but remains staunchly opposed to gay marriage.

Tony Abbott said it was brave of his 47-year-old sister Christine Forster to confirm her relationship with Virginia Edwards. However, this would not affect Coalition’s marriage policy.

Barry Humphries, the genius behind comedic masterpieces Dame Edna Everage, Sir Les Patterson and Sandy Stone, has decided to hang up his sequined gloves and make his next tour his last.

In talks to the Sunday Telegraph, the 78-year-old revealed that his new show, Eat Pray Laugh (a play on the 2010 film starring Julia Roberts, Eat Play Love) will be the last chance to see his iconic characters live on stage.

'Look, the fact of the matter is that I’m beginning to feel a bit senior,' the ageing Aussie legend explained.

Wet and wild seems to have been a bit of a recurring theme for Sydney's 34th Mardi Gras.

After a fairly sodden but enthusiastic parade on Saturday (which saw 9100 marches and 134 floats lighting up Oxford Street) followed by the massive Mardigrasland party (where 15,300 revellers were wowed by spectacular performances by RuPaul and Kylie Minogue), there were a lot of happy people enjoying some brilliant sunshine on Sunday morning.

There was a lot of hype about Kylie Minogue’s appearance at this year’s Mardi Gras party in Sydney.

In many ways a home-coming, this was a unique opportunity for Minogue to celebrate a milestone in her career and demonstrate her connection to the world’s gays and lesbians who have been loyal supporters since the beginning.

When Australian 50-year-old comedian Magda Szubanski came out on talkshow The Project on Tuesday, she said, fighting back tears, that she had waited until now because she felt that she had to chose between living openly and her career in films and comedy. The overwhelming warmth that her announcement has met must be a huge comfort to any fears her career will suffer.

Four men appeared in court yesterday in connection with the murder of a gay club owner in Cape Town, South Africa.

Bruno Bronn, 50, was found dead in his home last Tuesday (7 February).

According to police, the owner of the famous Bronx nightclub, situated in the heart of the city's gay scene in Somerset Road, was found lying on his back on the floor with his hands tied with tape in front of him.