Monday 2 February 2015

GAY HISTORY Petition launched for gay sex pardons
	Ask the UK Government to pardon all of the estimated 49,000 men who, like Alan Turing, were convicted of consenting same-sex relations under the British "gross indecency" law (only repealed in 2003), and also all the other men convicted under other UK anti-gay laws petertatchellfoundation Sign Petition  2 Feb 15
Stonewall celebrates defining moments and voices this LGBT History Month
	Working with schools, local authorities, celebrities and workplaces, Stonewall will share stories from its guide celebrating older LGBT people LGBT Voices and look back on its journey on the Stonewall25 website stonewall25.org.uk  2 Feb 15
O-M-G Conscience bill sparks protests across Northern Ireland
	1,300 attended a trio of rallies against the DUP's planned "conscience clause" bill at the weekend. The bill aims to protect businesses like Ashers Bakery, if they decline to accept custom on religious grounds newsletter.co.uk 2 Feb 15
Gay marriage cake: Christian Institute seeks donations for Ashers Bakery legal battle
	The public is being asked to donate money to help Ashers Bakery in its 'David and Goliath' legal fight against the Equality Commission. The Christian-run business in Belfast is being taken to court after refusing to include a slogan 'Support gay marriage' on a cake belfasttelegraph.co.uk  2 Feb 15
"We don't want to see men and women getting married"
	Michael O'Leary from Cork makes his contribution to The People's Debate on Ireland's same-sex referendum. youtube.com  2 Feb 15
UK Ex-soldier jailed for vicious homophobic attack outside Exeter gay bar
	Iraq veteran David Tomkinson was caught on CCTV repeatedly punching and kicking his helpless victim as he was curled up on the ground trying to protect himself. His defence said it was not a homophobic attack and Tomkinson was reacting to being accused of stealing the victim's wallet exeterexpressandecho  2 Feb 15
GAY SPORTS Football v Homophobia launched in Manchester
	A host of clubs from across the football pyramid - from Premier League pacesetters Chelsea and Manchester City to Dulwich Hamlet and Tonbridge Angels - have pledged their support, as the 2015 Football v Homophobia campaign kicks off at the National Football Museum in Manchester thefa.com  2 Feb 15
GAY ADVERTISING Gay lovers featured in moving Super Bowl commercials
	The commercial is part of Australian jeweler Michael Hill's "We're for love" campaign, in which a diverse pool of more than 1,200 New Yorkers were interviewed about love. The Super Bowl commercial features 40 of those respondents businessinsider.com.au  2 Feb 15
COMING OUT Richard Wilson: 'I didn't mind being outed, but I thought I should warn my sister'
	Actor Richard Wilson talks about directing Sarah Kane's Blasted, the ghost of Victor Meldrew, and keeping his sexuality a secret from his parents theguardian.com  2 Feb 15
Influential Church of England evangelical comes out as gay
	Jayne Ozanne, 46, is the new director of Accepting Evangelicals, and was formerly from the Orthodox wing of the Church, holding strictly conservative views on sexuality. Ms Ozanne disclosed her sexuality in confidence a few years ago in a moving letter to a select group of church leaders. Not one of the few who knew has leaked details of her journey christiantoday.com  2 Feb 15

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GBA Gay Business Association member: 

Saturday 31 January 2015

ALAN TURING Benedict Cumberbatch calls for overturn of 'intolerable' gay convictions
	Benedict Cumberbatch, the actor, is leading a campaign to convince the government to overturn historic 'indecency' convictions handed to 49,000 gay men. The star of The Imitation Game, will ask for ordinary men to be offered the same official pardon as Alan Turing, who was prosecuted for gross indecency in 1952 telegraph.co.uk  31 Jan 15 Benedict Cumberbatch and Stephen Fry are among signatories of an open letter asking the government to pardon 49,000 men who were prosecuted for being gay - an estimated 15,000 of them are still alive bbc.co.uk  31 Jan 15 Alan Turing Gay Page
GAY BUSINESS Dead tycoon's former partner fights over £6m gay village estate
	Helen Roocroft is fighting for a bigger share of her ex's estate claiming Carol Ann Ainscow misled her about her wealth when they 'divorced'. Miss Ainscow was instrumental in transforming Manchester's Canal Street into a thriving gay village telegraph.co.uk  31 Jan 15
Premium rate scam: Grindr users hit with fun-killing charges
	The iOS version has recently started dialling (without any user choice, input or confirmation) a premium rate number - 0913 666 0010 - which carries a hefty connection charge and per minute rate, and even if you cancel it quickly you still get hit with the connection charge theregister.co.uk 31 Jan 15
Coca-Cola and Michael Sam #MakeItHappy for the Big Game US athlete Michael Sam has experienced firsthand how the Internet has grown increasingly negative. In this Super Bowlcommercial for Coke he channels this negativity into positivity: "One nasty email she pretty much told me that we don't belong - that we're evil. She is really the only hate message that I replied to. And what I said was, 'I am sorry that you feel that way, but even though you hate me so much I still love you, and I wish you have a great day.' She never replied back."  youtu.be  31 Jan 15
Virginia scraps bill to allow businesses to discriminate
	A House panel has effectively killed legislation that would allow anyone holding a state license, including business owners, lawyers and doctors, to deny services to gay people without facing disciplinary action ... but have not added LGBT discrimination as an unlawful housing practice richmond.com  31 Jan 15
SEX - LIFE 24 questions about gay Polyamorous relationships you wanted to ask ...
	... but were too polite to!   A conversation last year with Jason, John, Mark and Sid - the first polyamorous 'unit' I met which consisted of a primary couple, in which each partner had a secondary boyfriend huffingtonpost.com  31 Jan 15
TRANS Bruce Jenner 'IS transitioning into a woman, family sources confirm'
	Olympic gold medalist runner and Kardiashian reality star Jenner is definitely undergoing the transition to change sex, and will open up about his journey in a docu-series which is due to air when he is ready mirror.co.uk  31 Jan 15

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GBA Gay Business Association member: 

25-26 January 2015

COMING OUT British Army general on verge of coming out
	A married British Army general is on the verge of coming out as gay - an announcement which would send shockwaves through the Armed Forces. He has kept his homosexuality secret since joining 25 years ago mirror.co.uk 26 Jan 15
ALAN TURING Alan Turing private notebook to be sold at auction
	A notebook belonging to the gay man who helped break the Nazi code, Alan Turing, is to be sold at auction. The book from 1942 showcases his mathematical genius, and gives an insight into his private thoughts bbc.co.uk  26 Jan 15
SEX - LIFE Alan Titchmarsh, a gay lecturer and a row over teenage sex
	The television gardener has attacked Professor Eric Anderson, 46, who boasted in a lecture that gay sex is best, that he targets 16 to 18-year-olds, that he had already had sex with more than 1,000 teenagers and men, and that he planned to double the total even if he had to pay young prostitutes dailymail.co.uk  26 Jan 15
"If you love she-males come to the United Kingdom"
	Nigel Farage's top UKIP aide Matthew Richardson condemned the NHS as "the biggest waste of money in the UK," and said "Socialists think that if somebody wants to reassign their gender the state should pay" mirror.co.uk  26 Jan 15
HIV AIDS Bill Gates predicts HIV vaccine by 2030
	Microsoft founder told the World Economic Forum in Davos that new intensive drugs to combat HIV should be available by 2030 and end most new cases of the virus theguardian.com  26 Jan 15
GAY BUSINESS Irish Schools and hospitals to lose right to sack gay staff
	Religious-run schools and hospitals will be stripped of the ability to sack staff for being gay, divorced, or unmarried parents by Easter, Equality Minister Aodhán Ó Ríordáin says irishexaminer.com  26 Jan 15
China's first ever sexual-orientation discrimination lawsuit
	Mu Yi, said he was "outed involuntarily" because of a viral video, and is now suing his employers for firing him because he is gay shanghaiist.com  26 Jan 15
Illinois tourism appoints gay chief
	Cory Jobe has been picked to be the state's new director of tourism - "I'm the kind of guy who wants to bring people together" windycitymediagroup  26 Jan 15
Gay mecca on Fire Island sells for $10.1 Million at auction
	A strip of commercial real estate along the harbor in Fire Island Pines sold for $10.1 million at auction on Thursday to developers with plans to continue the revival of a former mecca for closeted gay men nytimes.com  26 Jan 15
Vietnam breaks up $47m gambling ring led by gay magazine owner
	Police have detained To Cong Hung, 33, the owner of Attitude's Vietnam edition in Ho Chi Minh City tuoitrenews.vn  26 Jan 15
GAY ADVERTISING You Don't Say campaign explains why we are uncomfortable with certain words Student athletes at Duke University are taking part in a powerful promotional campaign to challenge homophobia, transphobia, and other prejudice facebook.com  26 Jan 15
RUSSIA Russian LGBT activist fined for disseminating 'Gay Propaganda'
	Yelena Klimova, the founder of the DETI-404 online support group for LGBT teenagers, has been fined 50,000 rubles ($780) for violating Russia's controversial law against the "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors." Russia's media watchdog, Roskomnadzor,opened a case against Klimova last November themoscowtimes.com DETI-404  26 Jan 15

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GBA Gay Business Association member: 

Sunday
GAY BUSINESS Stephen Fry: Save Soho from threat of property boom
	In an open letter to Chancellor George Osborne and Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles, actor Mr Fry and other leading names from the creative industries lament the dearth of "office and studio space" at the expense of housing - and an "imminent crisis for London's creative businesses" standard.co.uk  25 Jan 15
Lawyer arrested after boyfriend dies of suspected drugs overdose
	Henry Hendron, a 34-year-old civil barrister, was arrested in London on Tuesday morning, after the sudden death of his boyfriend, 18-year-old Miguel Jimenez. Mr Hendron is a close friend of gay senior Tory MP Nigel Evans pinknews.co.uk  25 Jan 15
HIV AIDS Ukip's official health spokesperson disagrees with Farage over HIV
	Mr Farage said that he wanted to control "the quality" of people allowed to live in the UK - and suggested "people who do not have HIV" as an example. Louise Bours disagrees, saying: "HIV is rather a bad example though, to be honest. HIV is managed now, isn't it." independent.co.uk  25 Jan 15

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