Sunday 22 February 2015

ALAN TURING  Alan Turing's family in plea for homosexual pardons Turing's great-nephew, Nevil Hunt, his great-niece, Rachel Barnes, and her son, Thomas, will hand over the petition, which was signed by almost half-a-million people, to demand the Government pardons 49,000 other men persecuted like him for their homosexuality itv.com  22 Feb 15 GAY BUSINESS Gay group claims responsibility for 'Gaytm' vandalism
	ANZ gave an Aukland ATM a glittering sequined makeover as a "GAYTM" but by Friday someone had smothered it in pink paint, which was labelled a homophobic attack. But in an anonymous online post, a group calling themselves Queers Against Injustice claimed credit for the "pink-washing" claiming the bank had "co-opted" gay symbolism for commercial purposes, using them to obscure their business practices and treatment of workers stuff.co.nz  22 Feb 15
WORLD "He should have told us he was gay and not married Anni"
	Vinod Hindocha, the father of murdered bride Anni Dewani, told how he was so traumatised that he couldn't speak for 10 days after her husband Shrien Dewani was cleared of killing her standard.co.uk  22 Feb 15

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Tuesday 2 December 2014

HIV AIDS HIV evolving 'into milder form'
	Scientists at the University of Oxford say the virus is being "watered down" as it adapts to our immune systems. It was taking longer for HIV infection to cause Aids and that the changes in the virus may help efforts to contain the pandemic bbc.co.uk  2 Dec 14 Efforts should remain focused on encouraging the quarter of people with HIV in the UK who remain undiagnosed to come forward for testing, say THT it starts with me  2 Dec 14
UK EU court blocks gay asylum tests
	The EU's top court has ruled that refugees who claim asylum on the grounds that they are homosexual should not have to undergo tests to prove it bbc.co.uk 2 Dec 14 UK asylum seekers 'told to prove they are gay' bbc.co.uk 2 Dec 14
A long list of sex acts just got banned in UK porn
Spanking Caning Aggressive whipping Penetration by any object "associated with violence" Physical or verbal abuse (regardless of if consensual) Urolagnia (known as "water sports") Female ejaculation Strangulation Facesitting Fisting	The Audiovisual Media Services Regulations 2014 requires that video-on-demand online porn now adhere to the same guidelines laid out for DVD sex shop-type porn by the British Board of Film Censors independent.co.uk Images of bondage, fetish wear, role play, watersports,  and domination/submission are not "extreme" spannertrust.org British Board of Film Censors
Stonewall joins #GivingTuesday movement
	A perfect opportunity to give something back after the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and join us in ending bullying and discrimination around the world - Tue 2 Dec stonewall25.org.uk 2 Dec 14
SEX - LIFE Homosexuality may have evolved in humans because it helps us bond, scientists say
	'because sexual behavior is intimate and pleasurable, it is also used in many species, including non-human primates, to help form and maintain social bonds,' say researchers from the University of Portsmouth huffingtonpost.com  2 Dec 14
Shrien Dewani to be sued by wife's family for failing to reveal he was bisexual
	The parents of Anni Dewani - who was murdered during her honeymoon in Cape Town - are to sue Shrien Dewani, her husband, after he failed to declare that he was bisexual before the wedding telegraph.co.uk  2 Dec 14
GAY MARRIAGE Finnish Church resignations hit 7,800 after gay marriage vote Nearly 8,000 people have resigned from the Lutheran Church since parliament on Friday approved a law allowing same-sex marriages. Their Archbishop had earlier made comments supporting gender-neutral marriage yle.fi  2 Dec 14 Australian PM throws doubt on same-sex bill Supporters of same-sex marriage won't find much to encourage them after Prime Minister Tony Abbott yesterday poured cold water on the latest attempt to allow coalition MPs and senators a conscience vote skynews.com.au  2 Dec 14 GAY BUSINESS Gay Games pumped $52 million into Cleveland-area economy
	The 2014 Gay Games, which attracted nearly 8,000 athletes to Northeast Ohio in August, added $52 million to the local economy during the eight-day event, according to a just-completed study by two economics professors at Kent State University cleveland.com  2 Dec 14
WORLD Robert Biedron becomes first gay mayor in Poland
	In 2011, Biedron, a political scientist by trade, made national and LGBT rights history by becoming the EU member state's first openly gay member of parliament - the same year that Poles voted in Anna Grodzka, the country's first transgender lawmaker dw.de  2 Dec 14

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Monday 6 October 2014

UK Campaign to free gay Briton Ray Cole from Morocco jail
	A #freeraycole hashtag has been set up on Twitter and a Facebook page has also been set up calling for Ray Cole's release after he was detained with his Moroccan partner by police who approached the pair at a bus stop in Marrakech last month bbc.co.uk  6 Oct 14 Nigel Evans MP lashed out at the "archaic" law that has sent Mr Cole to prison hastingsobserver.co.uk  6 Oct 14 Call for boycott of Morocco after British tourist jailed for 'homosexual acts' telegraph.co.uk  6 Oct 14 Family of gay Briton 'incredibly worried' bbc.co.uk  6 Oct 14
SEX - LIFE Shrien Dewani: Gay double life focus in honeymoon murder trial
	Shrien Dewani has appeared in the dock in South Africa to face justice over the honeymoon killing of his new wife Anni Dewani. It is alleged Dewani lived a dark double life, featuring drug- and bondage-fuelled gay sex in murky night clubs. A male prostitute who calls himself 'The German Master' has claimed Dewani paid for kinky sex on three occasions ibtimes.co.uk  6 Oct 14 Dewani is bisexual, court hears iol.co.za  6 Oct 14
GAY MARRIAGE Supreme Court declines to intervene in gay marriage cases
	The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to take up the hotly contested issue of gay marriage, a surprise move that will allow gay men and women to marry in Virginia, Oklahoma, Utah, Wisconsin and Indiana where same-sex weddings were previously banned reuters.com  6 Oct 14
Any 'biblical' objection to gay marriage is nonsense. The Church of England must admit this
	'Pretending that the church's present stance is biblical is not going to fool anyone who doesn't want to be fooled, and fewer and fewer people do,' blogs Alan Wilson theguardian.com 6 Oct 14
O-M-G Corrie's gay vicar storyline 'doesn't represent reality' say Christians
	"Coronation Street never seem to put churchmen like those you and I know on the show. They go out of their way to squeeze LGBT storylines in, but how often do we have an evangelical minister sympathetically portrayed? said the Christian Institute's Simon Calvert christian.org.uk  6 Oct 14
Stonewall drops controversial 'Bigot of the Year' Award
	Coutts Bank, told Christian Concern supporters that "we have advised Stonewall that we will be withdrawing our support of the awards unless they remove [the Bigot of the Year] category." In 2013, Stonewall continued the Award but big corporate names including Barclays and PwC who had been contacted by Christian Concern supporters dropped their sponsorship of the event christianconcern.com  6 Oct 14
First gay Catholic congress to press pope for change
	Some 30 associations representing homosexual Catholics from around the world are holding an international congress in Portugal this week as they seek to make their voices heard by the Vatican businessinsider.com  6 Oct 14
WORLD Protesters take to Paris streets over French govt's 'familyphobia'
	Tens of thousands of protesters, including a mix of hardline Catholics and traditional conservatives, declared their opposition to a number of causes, including surrogate mothers and artificial insemination technology for non-married couples france24.com  6 Oct 14
Indian man kills gay partner after latter attacks his mother for opposing their relationship
	During an argument he pulled out a home-made revolver and shot her. "When the accused saw this, he snatched the revolver from his hand and fired three rounds at him, killing him on the spot," police said indianexpress.com  6 Oct 14
Kenyan film explores gay life in a homophobic country
	With homosexuality against the law, film-makers fear censors will refuse to allow Stories Of Our Lives to be screened locally theguardian.com  6 Oct 14

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Tuesday 23 September 2014

GAY HEALTH Men who have sex with men experience poor and worsening sexual health in London
	Even though MSM make up only an estimated 2% of the London adult population (3.8% of the male population), they constituted nearly one in five (24%) of all London residents diagnosed with new sexually transmitted infections (STI) in 2013, finds Pubic Health England report gov.uk 23 Sep 14
BISEXUAL AWARENESS WEEK It's Bisexual Awareness Week! Here are five ways to celebrate Bisexual people make up more than 50 percent of the LGB community, but media, and even LGBT groups, often erase our experiences. The first ever Bisexual Awareness Week will be a step toward making more space for the B in LGBT autostraddle.com 23 Sep 14 Bi Visibility Day Celebrating Bisexuality every year on 23 September, since 1999 september23.bi.org | Bi Research 23 Sep 14 Popular culture is still afraid of bisexuality It's a shame that comic book character John Constantine's bisexuality is being erased for TV - we need to see more bi figures in the media theguardian.com 23 Sep 14 WORLD London rally against Gambia anti-gay Bill New law increases sentence for homosexuality from 14 years to life. Urge President Yahya Jammeh to not sign the Bill. Rally at Gambian Embassy, 92 Ledbury Rd, London W11 2AH - 4:30-6pm, Wed 24 Sep petertatchellfoundation.org | Sign petition 23 Sep 14 Canadian gay rights activist Jim Deva dies
	Gay rights and anti-censorship activist Jim Deva died after falling from a ladder at his home in Vancouver. Deva, who was co-owner of Little Sister's Book & Art Emporium, was 65 years old vancourier.com 23 Sep 14
GAY BUSINESS Half of US adults think businesses should be allowed to reject same-sex couples
	Nearly half of U.S. adults think that businesses like caterers and florists should be allowed to reject same-sex couples as customers if the businesses have religious objections to serving those couples pewforum.org 23 Sep 14
SHOW BIZ GFEST 2014 'spectacular' film programme published
	This year's festival theme is 'Myths & Mythology'. The screenings include: Russian feature film STAND; Brazilian gay teen drama The Way He Looks; along with Erin Davies' Fagbug Nation; at Rich Mix in Shoreditch, London - 15-18 Nov gaywisefestival.org.uk23 Sep 14
Now+then: three decades of HIV in Merseyside
	Now+then uncovers Merseyside's journey with HIV from the 1980s to the present day, through people's own stories - how local people and communities have responded to HIV and the prejudice and discrimination that still exist today. Free entry - 10 Oct 2014 to 8 Feb 2015 liverpoolmuseums.org.uk23 Sep 14

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Sunday 31 August 2014

UK United Kingdom wins Mr Gay World
	Stuart Hatton Jr, 29, from Manchester was a strong candidate throughout the whole competition mrgayworld.com 31 Aug 14
GAY PRIDE Oakland comes out with its own version of Gay Pride Parade
	"We had some leather groups from San Francisco who wanted to come, and we politely declined. We want to keep this G-rated," said Carlos Uribe, one of the organizers. "We don't want to compete with San Francisco Pride, we just want to offer a more family-friendly, diverse celebration. Sort of an end-of-summer bookend to SF Pride." sfgate.com 31 Aug 14
GAY SPORTS Sydney Convicts retain gay Rugby World Cup
	The Sydney Convicts have retained the Bingham Cup - the gay and inclusive Rugby World Cup - in a 31-0 grand final thrashing of the Brisbane Hustlers in Sydney theguardian.com 31 Aug 14
Michael Sam, NFL's first openly gay player, is cut by St. Louis Rams
	The St. Louis Rams have pushed the pause button on the football career of rookie linebacker Michael Sam. Sam, the NFL's first openly gay player, was released Saturday in the final round of cuts, just missing a spot on the team's 53-man roster latimes.com 31 Aug 14 The Rams decision to cut Michael Sam came down to his football skills. He was good, but nine other defensive lineman were better espn.go.com  31 Aug 14
COMING OUT Over $90,000 raised for Daniel Pierce after video goes viral
	A man who was allegedly disowned by his family after they confronted him about being gay in a "delayed intervention" has received over $90,000 (£54,000) in donations within just three days to cover his living expenses independent.co.uk 31 Aug 14
Married BBC presenter Paul Ross admits he cheated with man he met dogging
	Paul Ross has confessed to a gay affair with a man he met at a dogging spot after becoming hooked on the drug meow meow which he snorted off the man's face. The 57-year-old, who is the older brother of chat show host Jonathan Ross and a father-of-five, has admitted to cheating on his wife of 10 years with former English teacher Barry Olivier dailymail.co.uk 31 Aug 14
USA 'Gayborhoods' fade with growing acceptance of LGBT
	In the midst of 20 straight wins in federal courts for same-sex marriage and polling that demonstrates Americans' growing acceptance of LGBT people, scholars and demographers say there are signs that the draw of the so-called gayborhood is fading away usatoday.com 31 Aug 14
US TV host and ex-Suffolk teacher shot dead
	Scott Rogers, 52, a presenter for WAFB-TV, and former Suffolk dance school teacher was shot dead by his son-in-law at his home in Louisiana, police have said. Witness statements suggested Mr Hodgkinson was both Mr Rogers' son-in-law and former lover bbc.co.uk 31 Aug 14
JAMAICA Gay rights activist withdraws challenge to Jamaican laws
	Javed Jaghai, who brought an unprecedented legal challenge to the Caribbean island's anti-sodomy law, has withdrawn the claim after growing fearful about violent backlashes, advocacy groups and colleagues said Friday thestar.com 31 Aug 14
SHOW BIZ BBC's edit of Doctor Who without lesbian kiss rankles gay groups in Hong Kong
	The BBC has been accused of overcautious self-censorship for cutting a lesbian kiss scene. Thousands of fans missed out on the kiss between lizard-woman Madame Vastra and her human wife Jenny Flint, which the BBC says was cut to comply with broadcasting regulations in Asia scmp.com 31 Aug 14

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