Supporters of a plan to allow humanists to conduct weddings, for gay and straight couples, in England and Wales have pulled their proposal after a debate in parliament.

British Members of Parliament (MPs) spent several hours debating the amendment put forward to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill for England and Wales today (21 May) in the House of Commons.

But now they have pulled it awaiting more information from the government on how to overcome legal challenges their amendment may face.

Gay Star News yesterday (19 May) reported Muslim leaders representing tens of thousands worshippers in the UK have banded together against gay marriage.

In what British right-wing newspaper The Telegraph calls ‘an unprecedented intervention from the British Muslim community,’ over 500 imams have signed a letter to express ‘serious misgivings’ about Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron’s gay marriage bill.

Conservative party in-fighting and an amendment giving straight couples civil partnerships could delay the England and Wales equal marriage bill for up to two years.

The bill, which returns to the House of Commons today (20 May), is the subject of fierce debate among members of parliament. It will be voted on after two days of discussion.

Members of parliament, led by Tory Tim Loughton, have tabled an amendment expanding civil partnerships to include heterosexual couples.

Muslim leaders representing tens of thousands worshippers in the UK have banded together against gay marriage.

In what British newspaper The Telegraph calls ‘an unprecedented intervention from the British Muslim community,’ over 500 imams have signed a letter to express ‘serious misgivings’ about Cameron’s gay marriage bill.

Ever since Jason Collins announced he was a professional basketball player who happens to be gay, his identical brother has had to explain, to some, they have the wrong man.

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.

Eight out of ten Northern Irish lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people who experienced discrimination did not report it, a study from the Equalities Commission found.

Northern Ireland Equality Commission (NIEC) surveyed LGB people last year and found that half experienced discrimination, but only 20% reported it.

'We have already recognized the need to take special measures to address under-reporting of sexual orientation discrimination,' said equality commissioner Michael Wardlow, speaking at the start of Northern Ireland's Anti-Homophobia Week this week.

A group of LGBT Catholics and allies were threatened with arrest for staging a silent protest in front of New York City's St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The group stood outside the Fifth Avenue landmark with ash-covered hands, staging what they called a Dirty Hands Vigil in response to a blogpost published by Archbishop of New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan where he invited LGBT individuals to participate in the Catholic faith, but with the ‘clear expectation’ that they must first ‘wash your hands!’ of sin.

Televangelist Pat Robertson continued his pattern of anti-gay comments on his 700 Club show Monday when he claimed that gay people can change their orientation just as murderers, rapists and thieves can change.

Robertson was telling his viewers about a case in Ecuador where a politician made anti-gay remarks and was found to have violated his country’s electoral code’s prohibition on discrimination.

Robertson said speaking out against homosexuality is not 'hate speech.'

Noted author and Harvard University history professor Niall Ferguson offered an apology for his recent comments about economist John Maynard Keynes.

'My colleagues, students, and friends – straight and gay – have every right to be disappointed in me, as I am in myself,' Ferguson wrote today (4 April) on his website. 'To them, and to everyone who heard my remarks at the conference or has read them since, I deeply and unreservedly apologize.'

It has been over six months since I contributed an article for Gay Star News.

So much has happened but often we can only wait by the sideline and do little or nothing. Often when we intervene we make it worse. That’s the case in global LGBT rights, where we can do harm by saying the wrong thing or even playing the politics of power and money.

It turns out that Robbie Rogers, a former midfielder for the US national team who most recently played in England, was a bit of a warm-up act for the NBA's Jason Collins.

Collins came out publicly as a gay man on Monday (29 April) in a Sports Illustrated cover story and will be interviewed on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday.