The Australian Football League will take further steps to make homophobia unacceptable in the sport after backing the No To Homophobia campaign in August last year.

Now the players themselves are stepping forward with the AFL Players Association set to launch its own campaign to coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) on May 17.

Tribal chiefs in Zambia have called for a crackdown on gays in the Southern African nation after four gay couples sought to have their marriages recognized by a state registrar – calling for them to ‘be caged.’

Chief Madzimawe of the Ngoni and Chief Shakumbila of Mumbwa wrote to the Zambia Daily Mail to condemn LGBT people after it reported that four mixed national same-sex couples had sought to have their marriages recognized by a state registrar earlier this month.

The mayor of the small Ohio town of Pomeroy has resigned after the town’s Chief of Police went public over her alleged harassment of one of his officers.

Former State Senator Andrew J. McDonald became the first openly gay man to be nominated to the Connecticut Supreme Court on Thursday (27 December).

McDonald, 46, was nominated by Governor Dannel P. Malloy with whom he has worked closely with for two decades including the past two years as Malloy's chief legal counsel.

The deputy head officer of the Italian Police has welcomed the idea of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender cops.

Interviewed by the Huffington Post Italia, Francesco Cirillo said: ‘The Italian police is open to everyone, LGBT people as well.’

The suspension of a Milan policeman made the headlines last week in Italy.

The man was suspended for a month for having published on a dating website a picture of himself dressed as a woman. His sexuality is unknown but it has prompted questions about LGBT police officers.

Indonesian Islamic extremist group FPI (Front Pembela Islam, the Islamic Defenders Front) forced the closure of a festival for transgender rights in Jakarta on Monday.

A witness reported that the members of the FPI wore helmets and brought sticks to break-up the event.

Jakarta chief of FPI Salim Alatas denied this, telling Jakarta Globe:

The Croatian Supreme Court has ordered the former chief of the HNS, the national football federation, to publicly apologize for his homophobia.

Vlatko Markovic, 75, said to a journalist asking him if he had ever met a gay footballer: ‘No, fortunately football is only played by healthy people.

‘As long as I am president, I won’t permit any gay footballer.’

Now a tribunal has banned Markovic from any further discriminatory comments and ruled he must pay to publish both his apology and the court’s ruling in local newspapers.

Drawing a line under accusations the government is backtracking on plans to allow gay couples to marry, new equality chief Maria Miller has recorded a gay marriage video.

After appointing the new minister in the recent government reshuffle, who has voted against, or been absent for nearly every LGBT rights bill, it was interpreted the UK government was shifting its view on marriage equality.

Newly out and proud superhero Green Lantern will be given an Arab-American sidekick in the latest series of the comic book.

DC Comics confirmed in June that the orginal Green Lantern, Alan Scott, will be rebooted as gay.

Now the company's chief creative officer and writer of the revamped series, Geoff Johns, has announced the addition of an Arab-American character.

Simon Baz will be a superhero based on its creator's own background as an American with Lebanese ancestry from Detroit.

As South Africans celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 94th birthday the country’s LGBT communities call upon their leaders to take firm action against the rising tide of hate crimes.

Thousands of LGBT people protested throughout South Africa against their leaders’ silence and even complicity with the increasing hate based violence and crimes against lesbian, gay and transgender people.

The protests are organised by a coalition of LGBT groups and civil society organizations.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has described LGBT activists as ‘brave’, ‘committed’ and an ‘inspiration’ to him.

The comments from the UN leader were read out by assistant secretary general for human rights, Ivan Šimonović, at a screening of gay documentary Call Me Kuchu at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York last night (28 June).

The film covers the struggles faced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights movement in Uganda. It also focuses on the murder of veteran campaigner David Kato.

Drawing a line under accusations the government is backtracking on plans to allow gay couples to marry, the Home Secretary, Theresa May, has become the most senior politician yet to join the Out4Marriage campaign.

May is the senior minister responsible for equality and the government’s consultation on how to introduce same-sex civil marriages is headed by the Home Office.