Casey Stoney said that recent coming out by leading sportsmen is encouraging but more work against homophobia needs to be done and lessons can be learnt from women’s football.

The England and Lincoln Ladies captain told the BBC that ‘things are moving in the right direction regarding homophobia in sport’ following the coming out of NBA basketball star Jason Collins and Leeds footballer, Robbie Rogers.

When the BBC science fiction series Dr. Who was revived in 2005, John Barrowman began a recurring role as time traveler Captain Jack Harkness.

The 51st century character proved so popular that Barrowman was given his own spinoff series, Torchwood, which has run four seasons.

But Barrowman, currently co-starring of The CW series Arrow, will not be a part of an upcoming Dr. Who 50th anniversary television special.

It's a surprise to fans and to the actor himself.

The Church of Scotland is going to debate allowing gay ministers to have sex.

A theological commission has produced a report on the issue of whether the church should ordain ministers who are in same-sex relationships.

Put forward by seven members of the commission, a spokesman told the BBC the report included a broad spectrum of the Scottish Church views.

There is no question of decriminalizing same-sex acts in Senegal, affirmed the country’s president Macky Sall.

In a statement released today (12 April) by the presidency, he ‘firmly stressed that the state has never considered such an option and it is totally excluded under my presidency’, reported the BBC.

The Senegalese president also stated: ‘The African basic roots of our cultural values can not allow to accommodate an option to decriminalize homosexuality’.

Indian filmmaker Onir had been planning a protest against public broadcaster Prasar Bharati for refusing to show his film I Am (which features a gay storyline) despite it winning a National Award.

Now Prasar Bharati (India's BBC) has announced it will show all National Award winning films in full at the 10pm slot.

Onir sent a petition to the director general of Prasar Bharati, Tripurari Sharan, and had been planning a protest against the censorship on 3 May.

While British openly gay actor Matt Lucas may be well known for his catchphrases,  he will be keeping his mouth shut in an upcoming comedy series.

The BBC has announced the ‘Little Britain’ comic’s new show, Pompidou, will be entirely without dialogue.

It will feature an elderly aristocratic English oddball who has fallen on hard times, and his adventures in a series of six, half-hour programs to air late in 2014.

BBC actresses Alison Steadman and Tracey-Ann Oberman will join other celebrities at an auction celebrating 30 years of Terrence Higgins Trust fighting HIV.

‘Money can’t buy’ items going under the hammer tomorrow (21 March) will include a four-night getaway to Bhutan in South Asia, artworks by guest Tracey Emin, an 18 carat white gold charm necklace and the chance to be ‘inked’ by tattooist to the stars Mo Coppoletta.

A 20-year-old man is facing a year in young offenders’ jail after stamping on a stranger’s face in an anti-gay attack in Devon, England.

Connor Pollard punched the victim and jumped on his head as he lay unconscious on the pavement outside a Torquay pub.

Pollard admitted causing actual bodily harm in the attack in September last year, the BBC reports.

When Pollard had been drinking with two women in a pub, they targeted the victim for abuse because he 'looked' gay.

Straight soap star Gary Lucy will be back as a regular long-running BBC drama EastEnders as gay character Danny Pennant.

The charming city banker caused a stir last year when he got involved in a love triangle with popular couple Syed and Christian.

A gay man has said he was ‘humiliated’ when he was forced to reveal his positive HIV status at a job center.

Jayce Carberry, 22, said staff in Maidstone, Kent, made him declare his condition in front of other jobseekers.

An advisor even said he would have to seek legal advice about what sort of contact Carberry could have with other staff.

‘His [the advisor’s] reply was I’ll have to speak to my legal team to see if we have to disclose your HIV status to any members of the staff you come into contact with in this building,’ he told the BBC.

Uganda has deported a David Cecil for producing and staging a play in August 2012, featuring a gay businessman who is killed by his own employees, a UK embassy spokesman has said.

David Cecil was arrested last September for ‘disobeying lawful orders’ as the play was performed without ‘authorisation’. The charges were subsequently dropped.

In a letter delivered today (3 January) to the UK prime minister, David Cameron, 23 current and former Conservative constituency chairpersons warned against legalizing gay marriage.

The Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, which is to be debated in Commons later this week, would enable same-sex couples to get married in both civil and religious ceremonies, where a religious institution had formally consented, in England and Wales.

It would also allow couples who have previously entered into civil partnerships to convert their relationship into a marriage.