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April 14, 2013
Guerrilla rainbow crossings appear all over Sydney

Local residents have created their own rainbow crossings all over Sydney in chalk to protest the removal of a rainbow crossing from Oxford Street that was torn up by the state government

Local residents across Sydney have created their own rainbow crossings in chalk after the New South Wales (NSW) State Government dismissed public pressure and had a rainbow pride crossing installed for the Sydney Mardi Gras torn up in the dead of night on Wednesday.

Not even Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore had been told that road workers would be blocking off Sydney’s iconic Oxford Street to tear up the rainbow section of the road and replace it with black bitumen.

April 2, 2013
State Government says Sydney must lose its Rainbow Crossing

Sydney’s Oxford Street gay nightlife quarter will lose its rainbow crossing despite it becoming a local tourist attraction and nearly 15,000 people signing a petition to keep it

The City of Sydney will be forced to spend $35,000 to remove a rainbow flag gay pride crossing on Sydney’s Oxford Street despite the City wanting to keep it and police having no issue with it.

March 4, 2013
6,000 sign petition to make Sydney 'rainbow crossing' permanent

Now the Mardi Gras party is over, thousands want permanent reminder of LGBT history in central Sydney

Over 6,000 people have signed a petition to make a rainbow colored road crossing in Sydney's city center a permanent celebration of LGBT life in the city.

A week ago stripes of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple were painted over a road crossing in Oxford Street, close to the gay party area of the city, in time for last Saturday's Sydney Mardi Gras parade.

March 2, 2013
Crowds turn out for 35th Sydney Mardi Gras parade despite threat of rain

Hundreds of thousands of tourists and Sydneysiders turned out to watch the 2013 Mardi Gras parade despite an early threat of rain
 

Sydney’s 35th annual Mardi Gras Parade has been a success despite an early threat of rain from bad weather that thankfully cleared up at the last minute.

It had rained the previous night and all day but that didn’t deter the hundreds of thousands who turned up to line Sydney’s Oxford Street to watch the parade - which itself contained 10,000 people across 110 different marching groups and floats.

February 25, 2013
Sydney streets painted rainbow to honor LGBTI community

Road crossings in Oxford Street, central Sydney will be painted rainbow colors to honor the LGBTI community

In time for the Mardi Gras festival, road crossings on Oxford Street, in the centre of Sydney have been painted rainbow colors.

The rainbow crossings were proposed by Mayor Clover Moore who got the idea from a similar initiative in West Hollywood.

February 5, 2013
Firm sorry for telling gay men they may have anti-HIV ‘cool gene’

Dating sites Grindr and Gaydar pull advert that invited gay men to test for HIV protection gene. Test firm Cool Genes says ‘sorry’

Grindr and Gaydar have pulled an advert that invited gay and bi men to find out if they had a ‘cool gene’ that could protect them from HIV.

Now Cool Genes, a firm in Oxford, southern England, has apologized for advertising the £39 ($61 €45) service and said it will rethink the test.

The firm advertised on gay dating app Grindr and site Gaydar under headline ‘Got the cool gene?’

It was promoting a test that could find out whether you have a genetic mutation which makes it less likely you will contract HIV.

January 30, 2013
Sydney Mardi Gras Museum opens

Museum to commemorate the history of Sydney Mardi Gras opens, but is yet to secure permanent home

The first museum to commemorate the history of LGBT rights activism in Australia has opened in Sydney.

The Mardi Gras Museum features archive materials, such as costumes, photograps and posters from Sydney's annual gay rights festival which started in 1978.

Sydney's Lord Mayor Clover Moore and MP Alex Greenwich opened the museum at a packed event last night.

January 18, 2013
You can now call a police horse ‘gay’, UK rules

The House of Lords has ruled to amend a law which allowed police to arrest anyone who used insulting behavior

You can now call a police horse ‘gay’ in the UK, after the House of Lords ruled to amend a law allowing police to arrest any person who used insults.

Six years ago, Sam Brown asked a police officer: ‘Excuse me, do you realize your horse is gay?’

The Oxford student was arrested for making homophobic remarks, but Brown refused to pay the £80 ($130, €95) fine and the prosecution dropped the case.

January 17, 2013
UKIP chair forced to resign after anti-gay views exposed

Julia Gasper who said gays are more likely to sexually abuse children and compared it to bestiality, has resigned

A UK Independence Party chair has chosen to leave her post after her anti-gay views were exposed.

Dr Julia Gasper, a former parliamentary hopeful, resigned from her post as chair of the Oxford branch of the Eurosceptic British political party.

On 13 January, it was revealed members used an official online forum to express extreme right-wing opinions.

January 15, 2013
Oxford Union slammed for inviting three gay haters

Oxford University debating society invited three hate speakers to discuss gay parenting, while dropping far-right politician, Nick Griffin, who they claimed was invited ‘by mistake’

World-famous debating society, The Oxford Union, has invited three gay hate camapigners to promote their views on gay parenting.

The debate at Oxford University in southern England, one of the world's most famous educational establishments, will take place on Thursday (17 January) with well-known homophobes Scott Lively, Winston McKenzie and Peter D Williams invited to take part.

January 13, 2013
UKIP members’ extreme anti-gay views exposed

UK Independence Party members have used forum to express views like gay people are pedophiles and black people are schizophrenics

The UK Independence Party may have its recent growth stopped in its tracks after new evidence of extreme homophobic views in its party ranks was exposed today (13 January).

Using the party’s official online forum, members have used it to express extreme right-wing opinions such as linking homosexuality to pedophilia, the Sunday Mirror reports.

January 10, 2013
Pam Ann’s Sydney nightlife

In the last of her three-part series on Sydney, Pam Ann checks out the bars, clubs and people that bring the city alive

I have so many fond memories of Sydney; I lived there for a few years and met my great friends Carlotta and Polly Petrie. Us girls would hang out together all the time at the iconic Albury Hotel.

On this one occasion, one of the many Swedish backpackers who used to frequent the drag shows had made a bet with his Danish friend that I was a man. He drunkenly staggered over to the bar where Polly, Carlotta and I were sipping – well, actually chugging – Long Island iced teas and asked me if I was a man.

January 3, 2013
Rainbow crossings look set to go ahead in Sydney's gay village

Multi-colored crossings to celebrate Mardi Gras gay pride in Australian city's Oxford Street area already approved by council

Rainbow-colored pedestrian crossings in Sydney's gay village look set to be green-lighted by the Australian city's authorities.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore's scheme to paint the Taylor Square and Whitlam Square crossings on Oxford Street in the colors of the LGBT flag was approved by Sydney City Council last month.

AU$75,000 ($78,805) was allocated to pay for the project, which celebrates the 35th anniversary of the city's annual Mardi Gras gay pride festival.

January 2, 2013
Pam Ann’s favorite things to do in Sydney

Pam Ann guides us around her favorite neighborhoods and things to see and do in Sydney as we look forward to the city’s LGBT Mardi Gras

Pam Ann has already given us the low-down on her favorite restaurants and hotels in Sydney. Now in the second in a three-part feature on the city, she shares her favorite places to visit and things to do while she’s there.

December 24, 2012
Why Sydney is Pam Ann’s hot destination of 2013

As we look forward to Sydney Mardi Gras, globetrotting comedy queen Pam Ann guides us round her hot destination of 2013

In the first of a three part feature, Pam Ann gives us her pick of the best places to stay and to eat in Sydney – whether you are visiting for Mardi Gras or any time.

Hotels

Quay Grand Suites: If you want a view, and I mean a mo-fo view, this is the place to stay. The Quay Grand Suites are located right next to the Sydney Opera House, looking right onto the harbor and Sydney Harbour Bridge.

November 27, 2012
Sydney Mardi Gras: what to expect at Australia's largest gay event

Huge parties, gay pride marches, a month-long festival and more

Over 30 years since Australia's largest pride event was met with police batons and prosecutions, Sydney Mardi Gras will return next year for its biggest event yet.

Running between 8 February and 4 March, Sydney Mardi Gras will play host to a wide variety of events and activities, and is expecting guests in their thousands.

Gay Star News, official global news supporter for the event, looks at what will be happening.

October 4, 2012
Lord Byron family unveil plaque honoring bisexual poet

A new plaque has been placed outside the London house where Romantic poet was born in the 17th century

The descendents of bisexual Romantic poet Lord Byron will unveil a plaque outside the London house where the literary master was born in 1788.

An old wooden plaque which previously marked the house in Holles Street, now a John Lewis department store in the UK capital's iconic shopping district of Oxford Street, will be replaced with a green one.

October 4, 2012
Open up: Do we need a new take on ‘happily ever after’?

Is monogamy always the answer or could an ‘open relationship’ be better for you and your partner?

The first time I heard the phrase ‘open relationship’ I cringed at the thought of it. Why on earth would someone want to be in a relationship and at the same time what to hook up with someone else?

At that time I was bathing in the glorified illusion of my morality and the ideological deceit of ‘happily ever after’. I won't try to claim I can speak much about morality, but hey, I was in a monogamous relationship for one year.

I will never try it again.

August 24, 2012
Australian Shire star charged over gay attack

Daniel Folkes will appear in court in December after alleged homophobic attack 

A star of the Australian reality TV show The Shire has been charged following an alleged homophobic attack in Sydney.

Two other cast members were also involved in the incident in the Surrey Hills area on Thursday night (23rd August).

Daniel ‘Folksey’ Folkes, 24, was arrested shortly before midnight after allegedly urinating on a man while two other cast members, aged 27 and 28, hurled anti-gay abuse.

July 25, 2012
New Archbishop of Glasgow links MP's death to being gay

The new Archbishop elect of Glasgow suggests the premature death of a Labour Member of Parliament was due to his sexuality

The new Archbishop-elect of Glasgow Philip Tartaglia, an outspoken critic of marriage equality, has linked a gay Catholic Member of Parliament's early death to being gay.

Tartaglia previously attacked the Scottish government’s and Westminster proposals to legalise gay marriage, but now it's emerged he linked the Labour MP’s death to his sexuality.

David Cairns MP, a former Catholic priest and member of the Scottish Labour Party, died in May 2010 from acute pancreatitis at the age of 44.

July 17, 2012
Sydney celebrates Bear Pride in August

Sydney’s bear community is celebrating its wintertime festival in August this year with eight events across five days

In 2012, Sydney Bear Pride will feature eight events over five days running from August 1 to 5.

Now in its third year running, Sydney Bear Pride will open with a Bear Pride Dinner at Smash Sausage Kitchen, located on Newtown’s King Street, on Wednesday, August 1 from 8pm.

On the Thursday, Darlinghurst’s Supper Club, on level two of the Oxford Hotel, will host a live performance from 8pm by bear musician Eric Kuhlmann, which will also be the premiere of his world tour of his Red Light Songs of Lust, Love and Death show. Entry is $15.

July 7, 2012
Interview with writer John Corvino

Johm Corvino talks gay marriage, Maggie Gallagher, and their book Debating Same-Sex Marriage

July 4, 2012
What’s really going on for World Pride

Following the confusion over this year’s World Pride weekend, GSN has a full run down on what is definitely happening in London

World Pride 2012 has caused much confusion this week, so GSN has compiled a full guide of what is happening in London over the 7 to 8 July weekend.

May 12, 2012
Oxford Pride starts their engines for a drag race

People are invited to come join in and dress up for a fundraising community event

Gentlemen start your engines, and let the best woman win, because Oxford is preparing for the summer Pride event with a drag race.

On Saturday 19 May, men will don high heels and women will grab their loafers to take part in a community event happening in the British city.

This is Oxford’s second annual drag race, which raises vital funds for the main Pride event happening in five weeks on 16 June.

April 26, 2012
Engaged firefighter hanged himself after drunk gay sex

Aircraftsmen Robert Fleeting was found hanged in his room with a knotted curtain around his neck, an inquest heard

A Scottish aircraftsman hanged himself in his room at the base where he worked after cheating on his fiancee with an openly gay colleague, an inquest heard.

Oxford Coroner's Court was told that 24-year-old Robert Fleeting, who worked as a firefighter at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, had killed himself after a drunken sexual encounter with another male co-worker, identified by the initials AB.