30-31 March 2015

UK Meet Britain's first HIV-positive parliamentary candidate
	In a poignant interview, Adrian Hyyrylainen-Trett, the Lib Dem candidate for Vauxhall, reveals the extraordinary, harrowing story of how he contracted the virus, and explains why he felt compelled to speak out buzzfeed.com  31 Mar 15 "Adrian has made a really brave decision in speaking so openly about his HIV status," says THT TerrenceHigginsTrust  31 Mar 15
Stonewall unveils equality manifesto ahead of election
	Statutory PSHE and SRE, combatting hate crime, a fairer international aid system and a review of trans laws top list of priorities. Homophobic, biphobic or transphobic comments from any political party will not be tolerated. Contact local candidates directly via Stonewall website to share your stories stonewall.org.uk  31 Mar 15
O-M-G Ashers Bakery 'gay cake' case: End of the hearing, but not the debate
	When Gareth Lee was told the order was cancelled because of religious beliefs, he said he felt: "I wasn't worthy of service because they were Christian." If the judge Isobel Brownlie should find in Mr Lee's favour it is unlikely that will be the end of the matter. belfasttelegraph.co.uk  31 Mar 15

Monday
SEX - LIFE Inside The Met's secret gay art collection
	"There's so much homoeroticism in the history of art that you can't keep it out that easily," says New York tour guide Andrew Lear. "Even if you try, it's going to pop back up." thedailybeast.com  30 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: 

27-28 March 2015

UK Stonewall raises record £470,000 at its annual Equality Dinner
	The event took place at the Hilton on Park Lane and was supported by Aviva, with a champagne reception supported by E.ON. Money raised from the event will support Stonewall's work to go deeper into communities and help to improve the lives of LGBT people stonewall  28 Mar 15
Two murderers become the UK's first gay couple to marry in prison
	Mikhail Gallatinov and Marc Goodwin, who fell in love over two years spent at Full Sutton Prison in East Yorkshire, were wed in a small ceremony in the visitor centre independent.co.uk  28 Mar 15
GAY BUSINESS Apple boss Tim Cook 'to donate millions' to charity
	Mr Cook told Fortune Magazine that he would leave his wealth to philanthropic causes but not before paying for his 10-year-old nephew's college education bbc.com  28 Mar 15
GAY EMPLOYMENT Co-pilot suffered "gay" taunts because of his background as cabin crew
	Andreas Lubitz, the 28-year-old co-pilot of crashed Germanwings plane, kept his depression secret from his bosses but had been signed off by two separate doctors mirror.co.uk  28 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: 

Friday
GAY RESEARCH How many people in Ireland are gay?
	When the Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI Family Values poll asked people to describe their sexuality, 4% of respondents described themselves as gay, lesbian or bisexual. The real figure may well be higher, given that 10% of people polled chose not to answer the question irishtimes.com  27 Mar 15
GAY BUSINESS Blaze destroys club, hotel in Cherry Grove, Fire Island gay resort
	Two Fire Island landmarks - the Ice Palace bar and the Holly House Hotel - were destroyed and the boardwalk was damaged in the New York resort amny.com  27 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: 

22-24 March 2015

UK UK Government awards £2 million homophobic bullying fund
	Eight organisations will share £2 million to help prevent and eradicate homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying. The funding was announced by Jo Swinson, Minister for Women and Equalities, and Secretary of State for Education, Nicky Morgan gov.uk  24 Mar 15
The organisations awarded funding are: Anne Frank Trust - to run workshops and educate young people about prejudice and the impact of the Holocaust on lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Barnardo's - to provide face-to-face support for victims of HBT bullying and training for staff with a focus on cultural issues in schools in Leeds and Wakefield. Diversity Role Models with Brook - to develop and deliver training on tackling HBT bullying to 10,000 teachers and staff in 400 schools. EACH - to deliver a training and resource programme in schools across Avon and Somerset. Educate & Celebrate - to train staff in 60 schools, giving them confidence and strategies to address HBT language and bullying and promote inclusiveness throughout the school environment and the curriculum. National Children's Bureau - to train 1,500 teachers on tackling homophobia, biphobia and transphobia through PSHE. Show Racism the Red Card - to hold workshops with 2,000 young people at football clubs around England, train 200 teachers and run a film competition for young people on tackling HBT bullying. Stonewall - to extend and share its 'train the trainer' course with 60 partner organisations, enabling them to run the programme with schools in their local communities and giving them the skills to tackle HBT bullying.
Gloucestershire now without an LGBT venue after The Westgate closes
	Gloucestershire is now thought to be the UK's only county without a dedicated gay venue after the closure of The Westgate Pub. The Westgate, in Westgate Street, was appealing for support to save the venue and was hoping to raise £25,000 to stay afloat gloucestercitizen.co.uk  24 Mar 15
O-M-G Taunton street preacher convicted for homophobic sermon
	Christian street preacher, Michael Overd, has been convicted of delivering homophobic sermons over loudspeakers in Taunton, Somerset, last summer. He was fined £200 and ordered to pay compensation and costs totalling £1,200 at Bristol Crown Court bbc.com  24 Mar 15
California lawyer seeks to put 'shoot the gays' proposal on 2016 ballot
	Matt McLaughlin wants homosexuality punished 'by bullets to the head'. State attorney general, Kamala Harris (pictured), may be powerless to stop the proposal going forward theguardian.com  24 Mar 15
GAY MARRIAGE Russia fails in bid to stop UN staff benefits for all gay couples
	Russia failed on Tuesday in a bid to stop the United Nations extending staff benefits to all same-sex couples after a U.N. General Assembly budget committee voted 80 to 43 against the proposal. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in July that the United Nations would recognize all same-sex marriages of its staff, allowing them to receive U.N. benefits. dailymail.co.uk  24 Mar 15
SEX - LIFE I'm gay and my fashion sense is awful. Send help
	It's an outdated cliché to say that gay men are more stylish, so why does Shaun Kitchener feel he needs to smarten up his act? telegraph.co.uk  24 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: 

Monday
UK Tories draw level with Labour in winning gay vote
	Survey of LGBT voting intentions puts Conservatives and Labour on 26% in poll as support for Liberal Democrats plummets and Greens make gains theguardian.com  23 Mar 15
Poll shows overwhelming support for 'gay cake' row bakery
	The ComRes poll measured opinion among 1,000 adults in Northern Ireland. It showed that only 27% of adults believe it is right for the Equality Commission NI to take Ashers Baking Company to court, while 71% disagree newsletter.co.uk  23 Mar 15

Sunday
UK HIV campaigners stage protest in local pub of UKIP leader Nigel Farage
	Protest organiser and HIV activist Dan Glass said: "Ukip are a con. By wrongfully shifting the blame for the economic crisis onto immigrants they have let the bankers off the hook." Protestors included "people who have been targeted by UKIP such as HIV activists, and gay people" sevenoakschronicle  22 Mar 15
GAY BUSINESS 'Open For Service' stickers oppose religious freedom bill
	Indianapolis entrepreneur Josh Driver came up with the idea, and he says it's about doing what's right. But religious freedom advocates say the bill is about protecting religious liberty - not supporting discrimination indianapublicmedia  22 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: 

12-13 March 2015

GAY HEALTH NAT 'deeply concerned' about delay in national HIV prevention spending
	The £1.2 million to HIV Prevention England (HPE) ... represents a 50% cut in funding for this project nat.org.uk  13 Mar 15 Cost of 1,500 cases of anal cancer £70-£90 million - whereas the cost to roll out the HPV vaccine would be £20 million telegraph.co.uk
Ex-weatherman Fred Talbot jailed for schoolboy abuse
	Ex-TV weatherman Fred Talbot has been jailed for five years for sex attacks on two boys while he was a teacher. Talbot, 65, was convicted in February of indecent assaults on two pupils from Altrincham Grammar School bbc.co.uk  13 Mar 15
GAY BUSINESS Stonewall and Lend Lease help kick homophobia out of construction
	Lend Lease has embraced Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign, which aims to kick homophobia out of sport, and have reinterpreted it with thousands of builders at Lend Lease construction sites stonewall.org.uk  13 Mar 15

Thursday
UK Government unveils £650k in new HIV spending
	The Government has revealed that £800,000 of new money will be spent on HIV prevention, and to reduce the numbers of late diagnoses pinknews.co.uk  12 Mar 15
Coalition for Marriage tell Brighton supporters to vote for "anyone other than the Conservatives"
	Their senior activist in Kemptown said that whilst Tory support for gay marriage had angered many traditionalists in the area, it has attracted no additional support from the gay community breitbart.com  12 Mar 15
GAY BUSINESS Tim Cook cites Apple's record sales, vows to work on diversity
	Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson urged Cook to improve diversity in the leadership and on the board. Apple has no black or Latino directors, and 12 of the 15 top executives are white men sfgate.com  12 Mar 15

---

GBA Gay Business Association member: