Bristol, UK will be hosting Europe’s biggest gay rugby tournament, the Union Cup 2013 on 23 – 26 May.

This year 550 gay rugby players from teams including Stockholm, Berlin, Lisbon, Amsterdam, Edinburgh and Dublin will travel to Bristol to compete, bringing an estimated £25,000 to the city's local economy.

Tournament director David Arid said: ‘The idea of a gay and gay-friendly rugby club is to provide an accepting environment in which players can develop their sporting potential without fear of prejudice.

I’ve lived 13 years in London and – not ashamed of being taken for a tourist – have spent many of my weekends visiting its sites; from the famous to the obscure.

But this city always has a new treasure to discover. And about a month ago I got an invitation to speak at an event at the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology for Britain’s LGBT History Month. I confess, I had never heard of the museum but when I looked it up it seemed so amazing I just had to say yes.

Germany’s openly gay foreign minister, Guido Westerwelle, has told the Russian ambassador that his country’s draft bill banning ‘homosexual propaganda’ contravenes human rights and could harm the country's ties with Europe.

Catherine Ashton, the high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs also voiced concerns and critique, today (30 January).

After a relatively mild period of weather across Europe, the week that I’d booked to spend in Berlin was forecast to get fairly cold and it was looking unlikely that temperatures would get above freezing. I’d bought a new pair of snow boots in preparation and was feeling well equipped for whatever lay in store.

I love Berlin.

A cool, edgy city that deliberately and consciously embraces diversity and an overtly international attitude.

With iconic German brand Mercedes-Benz as title sponsor, it’s little surprise that Berlin celebrates its fashion week events with pride - this is a party that everyone in Berlin wants to be at.

British comedian Jim Davidson has confessed he was once given oral sex by a Thai 'ladyboy' in an effort to quash claims he is homophobic.

The 59-year-old comic is known for his politically incorrect jokes, which have led to accusations of being anti-gay and racist.

However, he hopes to change people's opinion of him before he goes into the Celebrity Big Brother house on Thursday (3 January) by revealing he was once given a blow-job by a transgender girl.

From occupier to occupied, rapist to raped. Bohemian to Fascist. Both capitalist and communist, scarred by a wall. Transformed in 21 years to a capital city, under-occupied and devoid of a parasitic financial sector. Berliners are bound by the limits of their talent, rather than mortgages, debt and wage-slave hours.

We visit Queer Zine Fest London, Lucio goes to Berlin to check out their new Pink Pillow Initiative, and we talk about honorary Gays.

Plus all the latest Gay Star News.

Madrid was chosen to host in 2017 the world's largest and most prestigious gay event.

More than 80 delegates from around the world voted for the Spanish captial unanimously at the annual meeting of InterPride in Boston, USA this Sunday (7 October).

Madrid’s successful bid was presented by representatives of the Office of Tourism of the City of Madrid, Miguel Sanz, and members of the Association of Entrepreneurs and Professionals for Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender Madrid (AEGAL).

A night on the tiles in Berlin is as thrilling and Bohemian as it is cruel and unforgiving.

So after stumbling out of a nightclub at the crack of dawn, squinting in the early morning sunlight, wondering what happened to my shirt and whose number is scrawled across my bare beer sodden chest in permanent marker, I knew no amount of Alka-Seltzer was going to dissolve the inevitable hangover from hell.

Five star hotels are often fussy, pretentious places. But a weekend of simple, understated luxury in one of the world’s most dynamic cities is hard to resist. And so I decided to get over myself, raise my standards and check in to Rocco Forte’s Hotel de Rome in Berlin.

The first man believed to be ‘cured’ of HIV gives hope for the future as he addresses the International AIDS Conference in the US.

Announcing the formation of a new AIDS foundation in his name yesterday (24 July), Timothy Ray Brown told media at the event in Washington that doctors have told him he’s ‘cured of AIDS and will remain cured.’

The so-called ‘Berlin patient’ was apparently cured of the virus after receiving a bone marrow transplant for leukemia while in Germany in 2007.