LGBT global news 24-7

Content about News

June 19, 2013

Human rights committee has managed to get legislation approved allowing psychologists to treat homosexuality as an illness

A Brazilian congressional human rights committee has approved a bill allowing psychologists to treat homosexuality as a ‘disorder’.

Led by evangelical pastor Marco Feliciano of the Social Christian Party, the group seeks to lift a ban on ‘gay cures’ that has been in place since 1999.

Joao Campos, a member of the evangelical party of Brazil’s lower house, said: ‘In practice, (the initiative’s) result would be that a person over 18 years of age, responsible for his actions, who is homosexual and wants to reorient his sexuality, can be attended by a psychologist.

June 19, 2013

Todd Sears, who has been influential in showing investment banks the business case for more LGBT-inclusive workplaces, spoke at an event in Hong Kong that was video conferenced to eight other cities in the region

LGBT-inclusive workplaces guru Todd Sears spoke at an event in Hong Kong yesterday to inspire corporations to improve office environments for gay, bi and trans employees.

The Goldman Sachs event entitled Raise Your LGBT Ally Game focused on getting straight supporters of LGBT rights to become active in creating a more inclusive workplace.

The talk was video conferenced to eight cities across the region - Beijing, Bangalore, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo - where around 200 people logged-on to hear what Sears had to say.

June 19, 2013

UK's House of Commons Deputy Speaker and not yet been charged and has denied all previous allegations so far

The Deputy Speaker of the UK’s House of Commons was arrested on suspicion of three further sex assaults, it was revealed today (19 June).

Nigel Evans has not yet been charged and has disputed the allegations so far.

The assaults are alleged to have been committed in Blackpool, Lancashire and London between 2003 and 2011 on men in their 20s.

In May, it was revealed Evans was being questioned over two allegations, one of rape and another of sexual assault against two men in their late 20s.

June 19, 2013

'I'm sure a lot of people will feel a bit ridiculous about it - probably embarrassed'

Robbie Rogers, the first openly gay player in the history of the Major League Soccer league, thinks 'it's kind of sad' that gays are still such a topic of debate in American society.

'It's kind of sad that in 2013 we're still busy having to discuss all this stuff - marriage and Boy Scouts and even that out athletes are such a big deal,' the LA Galaxy player said this week during a visit to the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center.

June 19, 2013

James Wharton, the author of a new book about ten years of being gay in the British military, has refuted reports he would send an apology to Prince Harry

Prince Harry would describe himself as ‘100% gay-friendly’, a gay soldier has revealed to Gay Star News.

James Wharton, in his new autobiography Out in the Army, describes serving openly gay in the British military for ten years.

In 2008, six soldiers threatened to beat him up over him being gay.

‘I think I’m going to be murdered by the infantry,’ he told Prince Harry, who apparently told him: ‘Right, I’m going to sort this shit out once and for all.’

June 19, 2013

Joseph Muscat, Malta's Prime Minister, pledged to legalize gay civil union this year as he received an LGBT award for his work, ahead of gay pride

Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was pledged that his government will legalize civil union for both gay and straight couples by the end of this year.

Muscat made the statement as he was awarded the ‘Gay Exiles' Soldier Award’ for supporting the country’s LGBT community and his commitment for legalizing gay civil unions.

Muscat said yesterday (18 June) that the government was committed in honoring its pledges made during the electoral campaign, including gay civil union.

June 19, 2013

Ipsos poll finds that 52% of over 12,000 questioned support gay marriage, 60% support gay couples adoption rights and 64% said gay couples are just as likely as straight couples to be good parents

A new poll of adults in 16 developed countries in Europe, the Americas and Asia-Pacific found that most are in favor of gay marriage (52%) and of gay couples adopting children (60%).

The survey of 12,484 adults by leading research company Ipsos for Reuters found that only 14% objected to gay marriage or any kind of legal recognition for gay couples.

A majority - 60% - said they thought gay couples should be allowed to adopt children and 64% said gay couples are just as likely as straight couples to raise children well.

June 19, 2013

Gay man in Freetown, Sierra Leone, said he was attacked by masked men after he refused to marry the woman his father wanted. Link to imam father not proved

A gay taxi driver in his mid 20s has narrowly escaped an attack by two men armed with machetes who he believes were sent by his father to kill him.

The unidentified men, who covered their faces with black masks, vowed to kill Mohamed Barrie for being gay as they assaulted him at his apartment on Sibthorpe Street, central Freetown, Sierra Leone.

The west African nation is known for its homophobic laws which criminalize gay sex.

Barrie, a taxi driver, went home at 11:30pm local time on 7 June after working all day.

June 19, 2013

Filipina LGBT rights activist Angie Umbac says she is 'speechless' at Archbishop Oscar Cruz's comments about marriage

One of the most powerful members of the Catholic church in the Philippines has said it is ok for gay men to marry lesbian women.

'May a lesbian marry a gay man? My answer is "yes" because in that instance the capacity to consummate the union is there. The anatomy is there. The possibility of conception is there,' Archbishop Oscar Cruz said at a church forum yesterday, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

June 19, 2013

Greens senator Hanson-Young received a 14,000 signature petition today pledging support for her bill to recognize overseas same-sex marriages in Australia, which will be debated tomorrow

A petition of 14,000 signatures of people who support the legal recognition of same-sex marriages performed abroad in Australia was delivered to Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young today.

June 18, 2013

'What I said was correct,' says Liberal senator Cory Bernardi about comment that gay marriage will lead to polygamy and bestiality 

Controversial former Liberal frontbencher Senator Cory Bernardi said in an interview this morning that he does not regret linking gay marriage to bestiality.

Bernardi said during a debate in the Australian federal parliament last September that legalizing same-sex marriage would lead to polygamy and bestiality. His comments prompted opposition leader Tony Abbott to ask him to resign as shadow parliamentary secretary.

June 18, 2013

Deadline is fast approaching for registrars and judges to decide on whether gay couples in the South American country can be recognized by law

Gay couples in Colombia may be able to get married as soon as Friday (21 June), as the deadline for the law approaches.

In 2011, the South American country’s Constitutional Court ruled gays and lesbians will be able to legally register their relationships after 20 June if lawmakers failed to extend them the same benefits through marriage.

The court ruled gay couples have equal legal rights to be constituted as a family, and Colombian lawmakers must eliminate a ‘deficit of legal protection’.

June 18, 2013

Magda Szubanski said she was as 'excited as 13-year-old at a One Direction concert' to meet the Dalai Lama in Melbourne today

Gay Austrailan comedian and actor Magda Szubanski compered a live talk from the Dalai Lama in Melbourne today.

The spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism is in Australia for a four-city tour of Australia.

Szubanski tweeted this morning that she was as 'excited as a 13 year old at a One Direction concert' to meet the Dalai Lama again.

June 18, 2013

Lyon gay pride participants attacked in four separate incidents, activists blame homophobic rhetoric used during the debate on France’s gay marriage as inciting hate 

Anti-gay attackers beat up and spat on a man because of his sexuality during Lyon pride, while at least three other incidents of anti-gay attacks have been recorded.

All the attacks occurred during the evening during the 18th gay Pride of Lyon that celebrated France’s historical passing of the marriage equality bill.

In one incident, two male attackers, one 23 year-old and another aged 17 kicked to the ground and spat on a gay man around 5pm in Lyon’s town center on Saturday (15 June).

June 18, 2013

After Pope Francis admitted to a 'gay lobby' in the Roman Curia, a 'fraternity of homo-sensible' priests have spoken out against the claims

Gay Catholic priests looking to meet up for friendship and more now have a place to do it online.

Venerabilis, an unofficial gay dating site targeted for priests and the people who love them, is allegedly based in Vatican City.

June 18, 2013

LGBT people are being told it is 'unsafe' to travel to Sochi if the Senate passes the 'homosexual propaganda' law, making homophobia legal

Gay rights activists from Russia are calling for a boycott of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

The RUSA LGBT organization based in New York have said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people are not safe in Russia, and are hoping straight people too will support the ban.

June 18, 2013

Outcry across the political divide over Liberal senator Cory Bernardi's reiteration of his belief that gay marriage will lead to polygamy and bestiality

The lesbian sister of Australia's opposition leader Tony Abbott has condemned comments by Liberal senator Cory Bernardi about gay marriage.

This morning Bernardi reconfirmed his view that legalizing gay marriage will lead to calls for the right to mutli-person marriages and marriages between humans and animals.

June 18, 2013

Britain’s House of Lords has been debating the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill in detail with opponents suggesting alternatives to full equality

Britain’s House of Lords has been debating whether straight marriages should be renamed as ‘real’ or ‘traditional’ and if gay marriage should be called marriage at all.

Meanwhile the Archbishop of York, John Sentamu, has hinted the Church of England should give more recognition to gay and lesbian partnerships – asking why it is the Anglican Church would rather bless a ‘sheep’ or ‘tree’ than a same-sex couple.

June 18, 2013

Lawmaker says kids adopted by gays are 'seriously traumatized'

The lower house of Russia's parliament on Tuesday (18 June) gave initial approval to a measure that would ban gay people from foreign countries from adopting Russian orphans.

June 18, 2013

South Australian politician will introduce motion to formally congratulate New Zealand for achieving marriage equality in the state's upper house tomorrow

While momentum towards same-sex marriage is stalled in Australia (it is unlikely the issue will be revisited before the general election on 14 September), one state has the opportunity to show its support for marriage equality.

Gerry Kandelaars, Labor Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) in South Australia will introduce a motion tomorrow (Wednesday 19 June) calling for the upper house to formally congratulate New Zealand on achieving marriage equality.

June 18, 2013

Tanzanians who are most at risk of HIV face widespread police abuse, being driving into further risk of infection said a report 

LGBT people, along sex workers and people face abuses including torture, rape, assault, arbitrary arrest, and extortion documents a report released today.

In just one example of many interviewees, Saidi W., a gay man arrested in December 2011 reported how he was forced to assemble other gay men in a local bar at gun point, and told by police: ‘If you don’t call your friends, we’ll shoot you.’

June 17, 2013

Right-wing newspaper columnist Piers Akerman says rumors about Julia Gillard's boyfriend Tim Mathieson are going around the capital's press circle

A newspaper columnist questioned the sexuality of the Australian prime minister's boyfriend again on a TV show yesterday.

On Sunday discussion TV show ABC Insiders right-wing newspaper columnist Piers Akerman said 'a lot of people in the Canberra [press] gallery have been saying the same thing [as radio host Howard Sattler]'.

Guests on ABC Insiders were discussing Sattler's live radio interview with Prime Minister Julia Gillard last week, in which he asked if her parter Tim Mathieson is gay.

June 17, 2013

A meeting in Shanghai highlights inequalities and obstacles to LGBT people feeling comfortable enough to come out at work in China

Twenty people gathered in the IBM offices in the Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai's second tallest building, today start an effort towards more LGBT inclusion in China's workplaces. 

Business people from multi-national banks, legal firms and pharmaceutical companies met to learn about how to make their workplaces more comfortable for LGBT employees. However no purely Chinese companies showed interest in the topic.

June 17, 2013

Man arrested after brutally attacking the first openly gay member of parliament in Poland Robert Biedron

An openly gay member of parliament was brutally attacked following the Warsaw Pride parade on Saturday (15 June).

Robert Biedron, the first gay MP in the country, has said he was with friends in a Polish capital café relaxing after the march.

‘An aggressive man insulted us, using homophobic statements,’ the Palikot’s Movement MP told Polsat News.