Macedonia moves to ban gay marriage
Lawmakers in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia have moved to ban same-sex marriage and to hamper the recognition of civil unions. The European Parliament Intergroup on LGBT Rights reported that the Southeast European country’s parliament voted on Tuesday in favour of an amendment to constitutionally define marriage as a union between a man and […]
Health concerns over “new poppers”
Gay men are being warned to be cautious of new products being sold or used as poppers that may cause serious harm. The original version of poppers consists of alkyl nitrites and remains popular among some gay and bisexual men, often being sniffed during sex due to their relaxing effect on the muscles of the […]
Trans, bi & lesbian people included in State of the Union speech
For the first time in history, an American president has mentioned lesbian, bisexual and transgender people in a State of the Union address. “That’s why we defend free speech, and advocate for political prisoners, and condemn the persecution of women, or religious minorities, or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender,” said Obama in […]
Lee Daniels: Homophobia rampant in African American community
The openly gay Oscar-nominated director of Precious has spoken out against homophobia in the African American community. Lee Daniels made the comments while promoting his new television drama, Empire, which he co-created. The series is about an African American music and entertainment family business and features a prominent gay storyline. “Homophobia is rampant in the […]
Ireland’s health minister comes out as gay
Ireland’s Minister for Health, Leo Varadker, has become the first openly gay Irish cabinet minister. Varadker, who is of Indian heritage, came out to the public in an interview on RTÉ Radio 1 on Sunday. “I am a gay man, it’s not a secret, but not something that everyone would necessarily know but isn’t something […]
England’s NHS stops referring patients for “gay cure therapy”
England’s National Health Service (NHS) has told its staff to stop referring patients for so-called “conversion therapy,” which is intended to change a person’s sexuality. According to the BBC, conversion therapy is not directly offered through the NHS, but there have been occasions in which GPs, counsellors and psychotherapists have referred clients to people offering […]
Priest, young man arrested on gay charges in Cameroon
It’s been reported by Erasing 76 Crimes that a priest and a young man were arrested for homosexuality in Yaoundé on Friday (16 January). According to the Cameroonian Foundation for AIDS (CAMFAIDS) the priest said that he met the young man that night. “I was going to the market when I met this young man. […]
Botswana government appeals gay group ruling
The Botswana government has formally applied to appeal the recent court ruling allowing the registration of the country’s only LGBT rights group. The Botswana High Court ruled in November that it was unconstitutional for the government to continue to refuse to recognise Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana (LEGABIBO). The Ministry of Labour and Home […]
Pope Francis: Gay marriage a threat to the family
Pope Francis continues to flip-flop on the issue of gay and lesbian rights, proclaiming on Friday that same-sex marriage threatens the family. Speaking at a mass at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City in the Philippines, as part of his tour of Asia, the pontiff issued a stern warning about gay and lesbian […]
UK could open its first gay school
The North West English city of Manchester could soon become home to the UK’s first school for LGBT pupils. Last week, the Joyce Layland LGBT Centre in Manchester announced that it is conducting a feasibility study on creating “an LGBT-inclusive school.” It said in a statement that the school would be similar to the famous […]