Gay soldiers who do not reveal their sexuality while in service are more likely to attempt suicide, a study has found.

Researchers at the University of Montana and other institutions found compared to their straight counterparts, lesbian, gay and bisexual soldiers in the closet are more likely to be depressed, have anxiety disorders and take drugs.

From 1981 to 2011, the US anti-gay policy Don't Ask, Don't Tell (DADT) said gay people should not serve openly in the military, but the effects are still affecting thousands of people.

Ellen DeGeneres has weighed in on the debate going on within the Boy Scouts of America organization which is considering lifting its ban in openly gay members and leaders.

But being Ellen, she did so by mixing humor with politics to make her point.

During the monologue on her daytime talk show Thursday (7 February), DeGeneres brought up the debate which has now been extended at least through May after the BSA national board delayed taking action this week.

It’s hardly been two years since the repeal of the US military’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Act. The LGBT community worldwide lauded President Barack Obama for his decision to strike down the law forcing gays and lesbians in the army to stay silent about their sexuality or else face the axe.

But in a surprising turn of events, the US Department of Defense (DoD) has declared that it’s ‘gay enough already’ and doesn’t need any more gay or lesbian recruits for the armed forces – at least according to DuffelBlog.

The World Outgames is a four-yearly LGBT sports event - in 2013 the event will be hosted by the city of Antwerp, Belgium.

One of Antwerp’s smartest moves was to appoint Belgium’s champion archer Ivan Denis as an ambassador for the World Outgames. Young, small, dark and handsome, Denis is cute as a button but fiercely intelligent and articulate. An impressive advocate for his sport and country.

Gay Star News met up with Denis when he was in London promoting the World Outgames.

The Philippine Military Academy (PMA) announced yesterday that openly gay boys and girls were welcome to join the cadets.

PMA superintendent Major General Nonato Peralta said at a press briefing:

‘We will not reject them (homosexuals). We will not say that it is prohibited. We are not prohibiting it.’

An examination for this years intake of 350 cadets aged 13 to 16 will be on 26 August. Applicants have to be at least five-feet tall, physically fit, a natural-born Philippine citizen, unmarried, high-school graduate with ‘a good moral character’.

A right-wing member of Israel’s Knesset parliament has sparked outrage after saying he wouldn’t enlist gays in the military.

Uri Ariel MK said in an interview ‘If I were the decision maker, I wouldn’t enlist homosexuals into the Israeli Defence Force (IDF), because some things interfere in the military's ability to fight.’  His comments sparked condemnation from across the Israeli political spectrum.

A photo by the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) showing two gay soldiers holding hands has gone viral on Facebook.

The official image has generated over 10,000 likes, 8,000 shares and a range of comments from the supportive to the comic and from the anti-Israeli to the homophobic.

The IDF posted the picture on the social networking site with the caption: ‘It's Pride Month. Did you know that the IDF treats all of its soldiers equally? Let's see how many shares you can get for this photo.’

From the outset, it created a huge response.

Chad Griffin doesn't officially take over as president of the Human Rights Campaign until June. But he was center stage at the recent HRC Gala in Los Angeles where he talked his motivation for deciding to head the largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy group in the US.

James Wharton is, without doubt, a modern gay icon - albeit a somewhat unlikely one.

An active member of the armed services (serving with the Household Cavalry), Wharton was the first openly gay person to appear on the front cover of Soldier magazine - the British Army’s official publication. Wharton and his partner Thomas were also the first gay couple to hold their civil partnership in the warrant officers’ mess of the Household Cavalry.