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May 8, 2013
Beverly Hills Hotel responds to accusation they are owned by homophobes

Hotel spokesperson says Brunei government owners do not effect their policies, but protest organizer says that's not the point

The Beverly Hills Hotel has responded to the accusation that they are owned by the anti-gay government of Brunei.

'There are dozens of countries with laws not as progressive as the United States or the state of California, and extreme conservative religious and rigid forms of law exist in many nations around the world,' said a statement from Leslie Lefkowitz, spokesperson for the Beverly Hills Hotel and Hotel Bel-Air.

April 13, 2013
Omar Sharif Jr. joins GLAAD

Egyptian Canadian actor and LGBT rights advocate joins US gay media advocacy organization as a spokesperson and fundraiser

GLAAD, the US LGBT media advocacy organization, announced that the Egyptian/Canadian actor and LGBT advocate Omar Sharif Jr. will join its staff as spokesperson.

Sharif Jr. will become the organization’s co-spokesperson, alongside Wilson Cruz, and will also be helping with fundraising.

Commenting on the appointment, Sharif Jr said: ‘I’m thrilled to be joining GLAAD in their culture-changing work.

April 9, 2013
Gay couples a step closer to full adoption rights in Australian state of Tasmania

Tasmania’s Lower House has approved a bill giving same-sex couples and unmarried straight couples the right to adopt on the same basis as married heterosexual couples

LGBT rights advocates in the Australian state of Tasmania have welcomed overwhelming support in its Lower House of Parliament for the passage of legislation removing a ban on adoption by same-sex couples, saying it is in the best interests of children.

This afternoon the Tasmanian Lower House voted 18 to 4 to allow same-sex couples to be assessed as potential adoptive parents on the same basis as other couples.

April 8, 2013
George Michael rumored to have spent two months in rehab

British gay singer has returned to the UK after allegedly secretly spending two months in an Australian rehab clinic

British gay singer George Michael has returned to UK after reportedly spending two months in rehab for ‘emotional anxiety’.

The 'Faith' singer secretly checked into The Sanctuary clinic in Byron Bay, New South Wales, the Metro reports.

A statement from the singer’s spokesperson said: ‘There is no truth in the rumor circulating on Twitter about George Michael. George Michael is perfectly fine.’

April 5, 2013
Mugabe may be visiting New Zealand

Reports that anti-gay Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe may be visiting New Zealand for a private speaking engagement, protest planned

Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe who has branded gays and lesbians 'worse than pigs and dogs', may be visiting New Zealand for a private speaking engagement.

Mugabe is banned by the EU from traveling to Europe and if New Zealand allow him into the country for a private speaking engagement it would be very controversial.

April 1, 2013
Catholic Bishops warn Ireland: Don’t legalize gay marriage

Ireland’s Catholic leaders warned if marriage equality introduced the Church will no longer conduct any marriages

The Irish Bishops Conference (IBC) issued a stern warning to Ireland’s government not to legalize gay marriage or else the Catholic Church will no longer work with the state in solemnizing marriages.

In addition the IBC said that by legalizing marriage equality it would reduce marriage to an ‘arrangement of the sexual relationship of any two people’ endangering the family and society.

The warning was submitted by the IBC to Ireland’s Constitutional Convention, which is considering the issue of gay marriage.

March 20, 2013
Historic Russian court ruling: gay pride is legal

Kostroma regional court made a landmark ruling saying that gay pride events were previously illegally banned by the authorities

Press Secretary of the Kostroma Oblast Court Julia Medvedeva announced the court ruled illegal a ban on gay pride marches in the region and on two rallies against the local law prohibiting propaganda of homosexuality among minors.

‘The Civil Chamber of Kostroma Regional Court granted the appeal of Moscow Pride and events founder Nikolai Alekseev against the decision of Sverdlovsk District Court’, said Medvedeva today (20 March).

March 10, 2013
Anti-gay ban may be added to Scotland's gay marriage bill, warn campaigners

Gay rights campaigners warn that opponents of marriage equality are attempting to reintroduced previously repealed ban against 'promotion of homosexuality in Scots schools

Equality campaigners in Scotland warned that an anti-gay educational ban repealed in 2000 (called Section 28) could be introduced by 'stealth' as an add on to Scotland's gay marriage bill.

March 8, 2013
Gender identity included in hate crime law in Greece

'Gender identity' named for the first time in Greek law, transgender people will now be legally protected from hate crime

'Gender identity' has been named for the first time in the Greek legal system, as a protected group in hate crime legislation.

The change to Article 66 of the Penal Code Amendments was introduced by opposition MP Vassiliki Katrivanou and Aphrodite Stabouli, spokesperson for Syriza, the coalition for the radical left.

Minister for Justice, Antonis Roupakiotis, accepted the amendment so that the legislation now reads:

March 5, 2013
Power Gays: Gay Olympic swimmer Daniel Kowalski

GSN meets the Olympian who now represents the swimmers of Australia

Australian swimmer Daniel Kowalski specialized in middle and long distance freestyle events – competing at Olympic level in 200m, 400m, and 1500m individual freestyle events and in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Having announced his retirement from competitive swimming in 2002, Kowalski publicly confirmed that he was gay in 2010.

March 1, 2013
Gay group in Catholic majority Philippines speak of hopes for new pope

ProGay Philippines says that new pope should 'start reviewing old ideas that alienate people'

Filipino LGBT rights group ProGay Philippines has spoken about its hopes for the new Pope.

The group welcomed the sudden resignation of Pope Benedict XVI saying the new Pope presents the possibility for the Catholic church to 'modify its anti-gay and anti-women doctrines'.

'Because our country is 80 per cent Roman Catholic, most of government policies have been heavily influenced by bishops, which made it so stifling for the lives of millions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens,' said Jomar Amores, spokesperson for ProGay Philippines.

March 1, 2013
German PR professional says he lost his job in China after complaints his 'lifestyle' was unacceptable

Stefan Susbauer says he lost his job doing PR for Mercedes-Benz because a Chinese executive had a problem with his 'lifestyle'

A gay German PR expert working in Beijing was devastated and humiliated when he lost his job allegedly because his client at Mercedes-Benz found his 'lifestyle' (sexuality) 'unacceptable'.

Stefan Susbauer started working for German PR agency OSK in Beijing as China general manager in June 2011.

Susbauer said OSK told him last year he could no longer work for them because a Chinese executive at Daimler AG (who own Mercedes-Benz) had a problem with his 'lifestyle', claims which have been unsubstantiated. 

February 23, 2013
Lesbian fighter to make sports history in UFC's first female match

150 countries will witness sports history in the making as Liz Carmouche, the UFC's first gay fighter, rumbles in the company's first-ever women's fight

An openly gay fighter will take the ring in tonight's first-ever women's fight of the Ultimate Fighter Championship (UFC).

Liz Carmouche, an out lesbian, is the first openly gay fighter to ever participate in the UFC, a mixed martial arts promotion company that until now has only hosted men's fights.

The hugely popular UFC tournaments are known as male-dominated sporting events with brutal fighting styles that aren't necessarily synonymous with women's or LGBT rights, until tonight.

February 3, 2013
Scots equality charity warns against anti-gay scare tactics

Anti-gay marriage campaign tactics have been slammed as scaremongering by Scotland's equality campaigners

Scotland for Marriage, an anti-gay marriage campaign group has warned that the same-sex marriage bill will compromise ‘civil liberty’, that anyone opposing it could be ‘sacked’, refused as foster parents, and discriminated in school.

The stepping up of the anti-gay marriage campaign comes as the Scottish Government launched a consultation on its draft legislation to legalise same-sex marriage in December.

Equality campaigners have slammed today (3 Feburary) the group for misleading information and anti-gay scare tactics.

January 31, 2013
Gay dating app Grindr slams users’ ‘sexy’ Holocaust pics

Grindr has criticized users who have chosen to post 'sexy' pictures from the Berlin memorial to Jewish Holocaust victims

Gay hookup app Grindr has slammed some users choosing to post pictures of them posing at Berlin’s Holocaust memorial.

The blog Grindr Remembers first spotted users taking pictures at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

While some seem to like the artistic, maze-like backdrop, other users have gone too far by taking ‘sexy pictures’, according to CEO Joel Simkhai.

January 29, 2013
ProGay Philippines protests sentencing of tour guide for 'offending religious feelings'

Filipino LGBT group speak out against sentencing of tour guide and performance artist for protest against the Catholic church

ProGay Philippines has spoken out against a court's decision yesterday to sentence a tour guide to a year in prison for 'offending religious feelings'.

Carlos Celdran was found guilty of violating a 1930 law which ProGay Philippines say is 'archaic and defeats equal protection of free speech rights'.

January 20, 2013
Victims group spokesman claims marriage equality will lead to crime explosion

A spokesman and trustee of a New Zealand victims of crime group has claimed that allowing same-sex couples to marry will lead to increased criminality and societal breakdown

The national spokesman of New Zealand victims' rights group the Sensible Sentencing Trust has written to a parliamentary committee inquiry into same-sex marriage to complain that allowing same-sex couples to marry will lead to more crime and the breakdown of society.

‘The marriage amendment bill will not benefit society at all and will ultimately have detrimental effect on crime at all levels,’ wrote Sensible Sentencing Trust national spokesperson Garth McVicar.

January 14, 2013
Ghana Christian group slams pro-gay gender minister

Anti-gay Christian group blasts appointment of Nana Oye Lister as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection over gay rights support

A Christian group is protesting Ghana's new gender minister Nana Oye Lithur over her support of gay rights.

The homophobic group called 'Concerned Clergy Association of Ghana' is opposing Lithur's appointment as Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection because she is a 'proponent and supporter of gay rights'.

January 11, 2013
Elton John and David Furnish deny baby rumors

Gay pop legend, 65, has denied the worldwide reports which said the couple had welcomed a sibling for Zachary

Gay pop legend Elton John and his partner David Furnish have denied reports they have become fathers for a second time.

Speaking to E! Online, a spokesperson for couple said: ‘Reports that Elton and David have had a second child are false.’

On 10 January, several gossip websites and international newspapers reported the pair added to their family via a surrogate in California.

The anonymous surrogate was alleged to e the same woman who delivered their first son Zachary on Christmas Day 2010.

January 10, 2013
Boys Scouts of America deny gay teen's application for Eagle Scout

Ryan Andresen had support of California chapter in challenging gay ban

Ryan Andresen, a gay teen from the San Francisco area, is not going to be an Eagle Scout.

An effort by a California chapter of the Boy Scouts Scouts of America to challenge its national organization's ban on gays by recommending that the 18 year old be awarded the rank of Eagle Scout has failed.

December 19, 2012
Pioneering AIDS activist Spencer Cox dies

Spencer Cox who pioneered drug and psychological treatments for HIV positive people dies at the age of 44

Spencer Cox, a leading AIDS activist who led research on protease inhibitors which saved millions of lives, died of AIDS-related causes at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York City.

He was 44-years-old at the time of his death, yesterday morning (18 December).

Cox became the spokesperson to the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) at the age of 20 and soon after cofounded its off-shoot, the Treatment Action Group (TAG).

December 17, 2012
Anonymous hacks anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church

Hacking group takes over Westboro Baptist Church spokesperson’s twitter account and leak church members info following their plans to picket victims’ funerals

The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) blamed marriage equality in Connecticut for the tragic shooting spree in Newtown that took 26 lives.

The Church announced that it will picket the funerals of the children with banners saying ‘God Hate Fags’ and other anti-gay hate messages.

Shirley Phelps-Roper, spokesperson of WBC and daughter of its leader, Fred Phelps, tweeted, ‘Westboro will picket Sandy Hook Elementary School to sing praise to God for the glory of his work in executing his judgment’.

December 10, 2012
Oldest Pride in Asia sees 1,500 march in Manila

Groups demand that congress pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill to protect the rights of LGBT people

1,500 people marched for LGBT rights in Manila on Saturday at the 18th Metro Manila Pride parade in the Philippines' capital.

The primary demand of the dozens of advocacy groups was for congress to pass the Anti-Discrimination Bill.

'After eighteen years of marching and shouting for our rights, we still do not have the basic law to guarantee that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Filipinos freedom from discrimination,' said Goya Candelario, spokesperson for ProGay Philippines, the group that pioneered the first Pride march in Asia in 1994.

November 30, 2012
Tatchell says Leveson Report will help protect gay private lives

Gay campaigner Peter Tatchell says tougher rules are needed on British press to stop LGBT hate and give right to reply for false allegations

Veteran gay activist Peter Tatchell has said the Leveson Report into British press standards will help protect the private lives of LGBT people.

And the Australian-born, UK-based human rights campaigner has called for new rights for people to be able to reply to false allegations in the media.

Lord Leveson published his report yesterday after a year-long inquiry sparked by a series of tabloid newspaper standards.

November 30, 2012
UKIP's McKenzie says gay adoption is like throwing kids to 'dogs'

UK Independence Party would-be MP loses election but still rants over gay adoption saying it is like the fall of the Roman Empire

UK Independence Party politician Winston McKenzie has ranted against gay parenting on live TV after losing his bid to become an MP.

The UKIP culture spokesperson was standing to become a Member of Parliamment for Croydon North in London in a by-election yesterday (29 November) but lost to Labour’s Steve Reed.