With the birth of Twitter and the death of discretion, an increasing number of public figures are candid about their anti-gay sentiments, and are paying for it.

Social media and consumer-driven content means that anything said online gets heard around the world in a matter of mouse clicks.

When homophobic and transphobic remarks are made, and apologies ensue, is it a genuine about-face or a lame attempt at lip service?

Madonna and Kylie have a new sister in their pop royalty family, as Adele was named as a new gay icon today (22 April).

The Someone Like You singer won 55% of the thousands of votes cast by GaydarRadio listeners in the UK, while her nearest rival Lady Gaga only received 18.9%.

Other winners were Gareth Thomas, the first openly gay professional rugby union player, who won Celebrity of the Year picking up more than a quarter of the votes.

Openly gay Swedish footballer Anton Hysen was named Hero of the Year after getting more than a third of the votes.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White was asked a simple question by a fan on Twitter: Would he rather lead the league in receiving stats or win a Super Bowl?

Instead of giving a simple answer, White chose to express his feelings in this bizarre way: 'Would u rather be gay or straight come on u know that answer.'

A Canadian ice hockey player has become the first out athlete to tell his story for the You Can Play Project, which aims to tackle homophobia in sport.

Scott Heggart, a player for Lanark-Carleton Minor Hockey League,
posted a video on the organization's website yesterday (26 March) and believes You Can Play's latest push will save the lives of bullied gay teens, especially in the sports world.

Mickey Rourke, Oscar-nominated for his performance in the 2008 film The Wrestler, had been set to star as gay rugby player Gareth Thomas in an upcoming feature film.

Now it looks as though the role will instead go to an actor younger than the 59-year-old Rourke, possibly Tom Hardy who is one of the stars of this summer's Batman flick The Dark Knight Rises.

'I was talking to Mickey yesterday and basically we're now talking to other big-name actors who could play the part instead,' Thomas told The Sun newspaper on Monday (26 March). 

Manchester United footballer Federico Macheda is appealing the £15,000 fine for his homophobic tweet.

The 20-year-old striker is the highest profile player to be reprimanded by the UK’s Football Association, which announced plans last month to crack down on homophobia in the sport.

It’s no secret that Melbourne and Sydney both vie to represent the best that Australia has to offer - Sydney’s spectacular harbor and relaxed lifestyle makes it popular with visitors, while Melbourne confidently proclaims itself as the most ‘liveable’ city, with a well deserved reputation for top restaurants, cafes and live music.

The best place to evidence this hard-edged competitiveness between the two cities is sport - one of the most passionate and hard-fought arenas of battle for all Australians.

Last week's winter finale of Glee tackled the subject of gay teen suicide when a closeted football player is outed then bullied and tries to kill himself.

The character of Dave Karofsky (played by Max Adler) is a former bully himself who channeled his own self-loathing by tormenting one of the school's most openly gay students, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer). It is Kurt who is there for Karofsky and when he visits his former bully in the hospital, helps him imagine his future.

Former NBA basketball player John Amaechi will open an anti-discrimination photo exhibition in Croatia.

Yes to Diversity, No to Discrimination will feature photographs celebrating diversity across Europe and is the conclusion of a Europe-wide competition by human rights group Amnesty International.

A New Zealand rugby referee has come out, claiming he has never heard homophobia on the field.

Matt Cecchin is the first National Rugby League official or player to reveal he is gay since retired front-rower Ian Roberts came out 16 years ago.

The BBC3 documentary which investigates the lack of professional gay footballers in the United Kingdom has brought in nearly a quarter million more viewers than normal.

Britain's Gay Footballers, presented by Amal Fashanu, was watched by 712,000 BBC3 viewers on Monday night, over 50 per cent higher than the usual viewing figures for that time slot.

The 9 to 10pm time slot for BBC3 has brought in an average of 470,000 viewers over the past 12 months.

Premier League football club Queens Park Rangers issued a statement warning fans about using discriminatory language just hours after signing a player who was banned for singing anti-gay songs.

In the run-up to a match with rivals Chelsea on Saturday, QPR issued a statement saying:

'Both clubs enjoy fantastic support. However, we would remind fans that while we want to hear their passion, it’s a fact that hatred and abuse is not what being a fan of QPR or Chelsea is about.