A tribunal has ruled that a former police officer was victim to homophobic and racist abuse while on the force.

An employment tribunal found that Kevin Maxwell suffered from ‘an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment’ as a gay black man working as a counter-terrorism officer.

The hearing was held because the Metropolitan Police Service, responsible for law enforcement in greater London, was trying to appeal Maxwell's claims that he was fired unjustly.

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said ending homophobia is ‘critical’ to the UN’s work and called for an end to anti-gay laws and better education.

His comments were delivered today (17 May) at an event in The Hague, The Netherlands, to mark International Day against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO).

The speech was delivered on his behalf by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, in the presence of the new Queen of the Netherlands, Máxima.

Over 100,000 people from nations including Canada, France, UK, USA, Netherlands, Germany and Japan, say they still suffer from discrimination and harassment at home and in work.

The LGBT 2020 Homophobia Report from Out Now Global says homophobia is still endemic – even where gay marriage has been accepted.

Assaults on the LGBT community and incidents of homophobic hate speech have both risen sharply in France over the last year.

The number of calls to SOS Homophobie’s helpline were up by 27% on the previous year.

Homophobic hate crime spiked last year in the run-up to the French parliament's approval of a Bill allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.

Incidents doubled in October and November when compared with the previous year, and tripled in December.

It does not matter whether you are gay, bisexual or straight, there is a worldwide call to combat homophobia with a kiss this week.

Across the globe, there will be several 'kiss-ins' promoting the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.

In the UK, Manchester's Lesbian & Gay Foundation will 'Kiss Hate Goodbye' with a flash mob on 18 May.

Grahame Robertson, a spokesman from the charity, told GSN: ‘The Kiss Hate Goodbye flash mob and campaign in general is a chance for everyone to make a big statement against LGBT hate crime.

Cardinal Keith O’Brien is being ordered to leave Scotland for several months and atone for his sexual misconduct with his male priests.

The Vatican has confirmed he will be leaving the country for several months ‘for the purpose of spiritual, prayer and penance’.

In a statement from the Catholic Church, senior colleagues at the Vatican will decide his future.

Singapore often makes Gay Star News headlines - about a judge ruling against repealing a colonial-era law that criminalizes gay sex or a pastor preaching against homosexuality at an evangelical 'mega church' conference - but how does that feel for the LGBT people who live there?

A team of research students has mapped out the most homophobic and racist states in the US using hate speech Tweets.

A group of students from Humboldt State University in California have published the results of their Geography of Hate project, which set out to identify ‘the geographic origins of online hate speech.’

According to the website: ‘the data behind the map is based on every geocoded tweet in the US from June 2012 – April 2013 containing one of the “hate words”.’

Religious Italians are celebrating International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO) on 17 May by connecting churches of all faith in a prayer vigil.

For the first time since the vigils began, seven years ago, Catholic churches will host events.

He has never had sex with a woman but Markus K from Munich, Germany may be the gay dad with the most kids in the world – 22 so far.

Slim, dark-haired and 1.94 meters (6’3”) tall he has 12 children living in Munich, one in Tuscany, one in Vienna, six in other German towns and two still in the womb – they are due to be born this summer.

If both those pregnancies go as planned he will end up with 12 girls and 12 boys. He thinks that’s a good number and may consider stopping.

Veteran gay activist Peter Tatchell has criticized a British lawyer who called for the age of consent for all sex – gay and straight – in the UK to be lowered to 13.

Barbara Hewson was commenting on a child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the UK with some of the country’s ageing TV stars being arrested or questioned on suspicion of abuse of young boys and girls or women.

Now barrister – or senior lawyer – Hewson has said those rounding up suspected abusers are ‘zealots’ who are ‘manipulating’ the law.

Gay men and women living in a strict Islamic province of Indonesia are going to be publicly lashed 100 times under a proposed bylaw backed by politicians.

Illiza Sa’aduddin Djamal, the Banda Aceh Deputy Mayor, is calling for harsher bylaws against gay people as it is against the district’s adherence to sharia law.

Djamal, who has called homosexuality ‘a social disease that should be eradicated, has complained police are unable to punish gay people under current rules.