Europe
Europe fines Russia for banning St Petersburg Pride
European Court of Human Rights rules banning Pride marches a violation of human rights The European Court of Human Rights has fined Russia for blocking a Pride march in St Petersburg. LGBTI activists Yuri Gavrikov, Alexander Sheremetyev, Dmitry Milkov, and Maria Yefremenkova were awarded €27,500 damages in total over authorities’ repeated refusal to allow them… Read more »
There is going to be a new gay club opening up in London
And it’s going to be open until 5am There is going to be a new gay club opening up in LondonFacebookThere’s going to be a new club opening in south London8 February 2017 by Joe Morgan A gay man is going to be opening up the first new LGBTI nightclub in London in years. Following… Read more »
Three men dead in Berlin gay sauna fire
There were 30 people inside the sauna at the time of the fire Three men died in a fire in a Berlin gay sauna. Firefighters were called to Steam Works, formerly Apollo Splash Club, at 22:23 on Sunday night (5 February). Speaking to Gay Star News Valeska Jakubowski, a spokesperson for Berlin Police, confirmed initial… Read more »
Fascists carry coffin draped in Italy flag to protest gay couple’s civil union
Italian fascists have held a funeral procession to protest a gay couple entering a civil partnership. On Sunday (5 February), 15 members of the right-wing, neo-fascist Forza Nuova marched in Cesena, a small town near Rimini in north Italy. They carried a coffin, draped in the Italian flag and some of the marchers had dressed… Read more »
Watch Norway’s first gay couple to get married in a church
You may kiss the groom! The Church of Norway has finally allowed same-sex couples to have religious weddings, and we have the pictures of the very first gay couple to tie the knot. Kjell Frølich Benjaminsen, 63, and his partner Erik Skjelnæs, 70, spent decades waiting to get married in the church of their choice.… Read more »
The Young Queer Writer Who Became Greenland’s Unlikely Literary Star
The first Greenlandic novel—a Rip Van Winkle-like tale called “Singnagtugaq,” or “The Greenlander’s Dream,” by a priest named Mathias Storch—was published just over a century ago. In the time since, the island’s modest literary output has tended to hew closely to traditional themes—what one Greenlander describes as “we have magnificent nature and we all live… Read more »
Switzerland lifts lifetime ban on gay men donating blood
But gay men still have to be celibate for a year Switzerland has lifted the lifetime ban on gay men donating blood. Medical watchdog Swissmedic has approved the request lodged by blood donor service Swiss Transfusion SRC. Under the rules, gay and bisexual men will be allowed to donate as long as they have been… Read more »
Britain posthumously pardons thousands of gay men in ‘Turing law’
London (CNN) – Thousands of gay and bisexual men who were convicted of now-abolished sexual offenses in Britain have been posthumously pardoned under a new policing law, the Justice Ministry announced. The “Turing law” received royal assent on Tuesday, the last stage in a bill becoming law in the United Kingdom. It gives an automatic… Read more »
Holocaust Memorial Day: The lessons we should learn from the Nazi persecution of gay people
PinkNews publisher Benjamin Cohen reflects on the persecution of gay people by the Nazis as Britain marks Holocaust Memorial Day. If I was alive 75-year-ago and living in Berlin and not London, my outlook would not have been looking good and not just because I’m Jewish. Like some of those who found themselves in concentration… Read more »
Afghan asylum seekers resort to sex work in Athens
Intro: Disgraced and Ashamed in Greece I visited Greece (Mykonos) last October, stayed in an seaside villa, ate plentiful meals, drove around the island in a rented car and basked in the sunshine. That’s how most foreign tourists experience Greece. They arrive and depart in a bubble of affluence and comfort and do not see… Read more »
Ireland lifts lifetime ban on gay men giving blood
Ireland has softened rules that permanently banned men who have sex with men from donating blood. Until this week, the Republic of Ireland continued to enforce rules introduced at the height of the AIDS crisis, which stipulate that men who have sex with men (MSM) are banned for life from giving blood. A number of… Read more »
Government issues apology for historical anti-gay laws as Parliament gives green light to pardons law
Plans to issue a pardon with men who were convicted under anti-gay laws have been accepted unopposed. The Turing’s Law proposals will see men convicted for consensual same-sex relationships, which were criminalised in England and Wales until 1967, formally pardoned. Rather than bring about direct legislation on the issue, the Ministry of Justice fulflled the… Read more »
One country now makes up 64% of all HIV infections in Europe
Cases of HIV in Russia are now the highest in Europe. The country saw some 100,000 new infections recorded in the most recent year’s figures. The trend goes against that seen in the rest of Europe, where new infections have generally stabilised or fallen. 98,177 new diagnoses of HIV were diagnosed in Russia in 2015,… Read more »
Vienna to celebrate 20th year of its LGBT waltzes
Vienna is to celebrate its 20th annual LGBT ball. The very special celebration falls at the end of January, and it’s done in classic Austrian style. The Rainbow Ball, or Ragenbogen Ball as it is in Austrian, is one of Austria’s numerous classical balls for LGBT people. The event welcomes LGBT people from right across… Read more »
Dozens gather at gay pride in conservative Montenegro
Pogorica, Montenegro – Dozens of people have participated in a gay pride event in highly conservative Montenegro where authorities are promising to boost gay rights as part of efforts to join the European Union. Hundreds of policemen deployed Saturday in downtown Podgorica, the capital, to prevent possible attacks from extremists. Participants in the pride march… Read more »
Why the Tiny Island of Malta Has Europe’s Most Progressive Gay Rights
But the European island is far from perfect for LGBTQ people, activists say Malta, the tiny southern European island with a population of just over 420,000, made history earlier this month by becoming the first European country to criminalize “deceptive and harmful” conversion therapy, defined as any practice which aims to change, repress or eliminate… Read more »
Malta just became the first country in Europe to ban ‘gay cure’ therapy
Malta has made history as the first European country to ban gay conversion therapy. The island nation passed the bill that will mean any medical professional found guilty of prescribing the so-called ‘gay cure’ therapy could be jailed. Politicians voted through the Affirmation of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression Bill, labelling gay cure… Read more »
The UN’s LGBT expert has advocated for a global partnership to end violence
He advocated for unity in his keynote speech at the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA) in Bangkok. Vitit Muntarbhorn said: “resolute action is required to stop the violence and discrimination affecting not only LGBT communities but also the human rights defenders working with them… “this goes hand in hand with the… Read more »
Greek Parliament votes for a controversial bill to expand rights for LGBT people
The Greek Parliament passed the controversial bill despite an absence of 73 MPs from across different parties in a house of 300. The bill will expand the rights of same sex couples in Greece, as well as ensuring equality in the workplace regardless of sexual orientation, gender or religion. The bill was approved by 201… Read more »
Czech Republic: Police Drop Charges Against All 30 Gay Men Living With HIV Following Prague Public Health Authority ‘Witch Hunt’
All criminal charges have been dropped against the 30 gay men living with HIV who were reported to the police by the Prague Public Health Authority earlier this year after they were diagnosed with an STI, Czech media report today. The draconian behaviour of Prague Public Health led to widespread condemnation by human rights defenders.… Read more »
153 same-sex couples have taken advantage of Malta’s civil unions law
In total, 153 couples have taken advantage of Malta’s 2014 law which legalised same-sex civil partnerships. The law was introduced in April 2014, and legalised civil unions and adoption for same-sex couples. It also meant recognition for marriages entered into abroad as civil unions, and recognition of foreign civil unions. A parliamentary question answered by… Read more »
King of the Netherlands to make historic visit to LGBT group
The King of the Netherlands will make a historic visit to a Dutch LGBT rights group later this month, in a historic first. It was announced today that King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, who ascended to the throne in 2013 when his mother abdicated, will meet with activists from COC Netherlands, a Dutch advocacy group… Read more »
Gibraltar approves same-sex marriage
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory on Spain’s south coast, with a population of 30,000. It followed England, Wales and Scotland today in passing a Bill that makes it possible for same-sex couples to marry in Gibraltar. According to the Gibraltar Broadcasting Corporation, Equality Minister Samantha Sacramento this morning carried the Civil Marriage Amendment Bill… Read more »
Scotland Embraces Gay Politicians in a Profound Cultural Shift
Glasgow — A popular tabloid called Patrick Harvie, the leader of the Scottish Green Party, a “Green threat to the family” when he ran for Parliament in 2003 — not because of his politics but because he is bisexual. When Ruth Davidson became the first openly gay leader of the Scottish Conservative Party in 2011,… Read more »
Thousands of Men to Be Pardoned for Gay Sex, Once a Crime in Britain
London — The men were convicted — tens of thousands of them — of crimes like buggery, gross indecency and loitering with intent. They had been arrested in bars, coffee houses and public bathrooms, and sometimes in the privacy of their homes and with their partners. In many cases, their only offense was seeking intimacy… Read more »
Thousands of Men to Be Pardoned for Gay Sex, Once a Crime in Britain
London — The men were convicted — tens of thousands of them — of crimes like buggery, gross indecency and loitering with intent. They had been arrested in bars, coffee houses and public bathrooms, and sometimes in the privacy of their homes and with their partners. In many cases, their only offense was seeking intimacy… Read more »
Germany is the queerest country in Europe
Germany has the largest LGBT population in Europe, according to research. The news comes from Berlin’s Dalia Research, which published the results of a Europe-wide EuroPulse study, which interviewed 12,000 people across 28 EU countries. According to the study, reported by Vice.de Germany leads Europe in terms of LGBT population size, with 7.4% of Germans… Read more »
Tens Of Thousands March In Paris To Protest Gay Marriage
Opponents of France’s 2013 law extending marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples staged a march in Paris on Sunday, roughly six months before voters head to the polls to elect a new president. Organizers estimated the crowd at 200,000, while police said the number was closer to 24,000. Demonstrators carried signs which read “A… Read more »
Russia censors internet support site for LGBT teens
Russia is set to blacklist a support website for LGBT teens that officials say violates the country’s ‘gay propaganda’ law. Deti-404, which translates to Children-404, acts as an online support system for LGBT teens in Russia, where homophobia and transphobia continues to thrive. The website‘s users often share their stories about the anti-LGBT prejudices endured… Read more »
Austria to boost same-sex civil partnership rights… just don’t call it a marriage
The Austrian government has drawn up plans to grant more rights to same-sex couples in registered partnerships, but it won’t be pushing forward with equal marriage. The country is currently governed by a grand coalition between the left-wing Social Democrats and the centre-right People’s Party. Same-sex registered partnerships were introduced in 2010, allowing gay and… Read more »
A More Queer Bucharest
Bucharest, Romania. An organization called “The Coalition for Family” wants to redefine marriage in Romania’s constitution as the “union between a man and a woman.” Right now, gay marriage is prohibited by law in Romania, but excluding it from the constitutional definition would make this much more permanent and harder to change. In this context,… Read more »
Why does gay sex scare modern Muslims?
Homosexuality didn’t frighten Muslims in Islam’s Golden Age Islamic literature once revered & celebrated same-sex love. Why not now? Preface by Peter Tatchell, Director of the Peter Tatchell Foundation: “We are delighted to publish this challenging article by Maajid Nawaz. It reveals the hidden, suppressed history of an era when same-sex love featured in some… Read more »
A More Queer Bucharest
Bucharest, Romania – An organization called “The Coalition for Family” wants to redefine marriage in Romania’s constitution as the “union between a man and a woman.” Right now, gay marriage is prohibited by law in Romania, but excluding it from the constitutional definition would make this much more permanent and harder to change. In this context,… Read more »
6 Sites Recognized by Britain for Significance to Gay History
London — The former homes of the writer Oscar Wilde and the composer Benjamin Britten are among six sites that were recognized on Friday by an arm of the British government for their significance in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history. Historic England, a body that designates places worthy of legal protection, announced the decision,… Read more »
Court files recording details of World War Two code-breaker Alan Turing’s convictions for homosexual acts have gone on display for the first time.
One of the documents, to be displayed at Chester Town Hall, shows the mathematician admitted “acts of gross indecency” at a trial in 1952. He then underwent chemical castration. Helen Pickin-Jones, chair of Chester Pride, said: “Just a few simple lines of text reveal the appalling treatment of one of our national heroes.”Alan Turing’s homosexual… Read more »
Peter Tatchell wins James Joyce Award 2016 – Granted an Honorary Fellowship by University College Dublin
Award acceptance dedicated to LGBT group, Sexual Minorities Uganda Acceptance speech: The future evolution of human sexuality Human rights and LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been named as winner of Ireland’s prestigious James Joyce Award 2016 and the recipient of an Honorary Fellowship from University College Dublin. nPrevious winners include Noam Chomsky, Desmond Tutu… Read more »
Barcelona pageant celebrates transgender women
Barcelona, Spain (AP) — Despite facing violence and discrimination in many countries, 28 transgender women found a place to shine. The women competed last weekend to be crowned Miss Trans Star International, Europe’s largest beauty pageant for transgender women and one of a growing number of events aimed at celebrating a population more often condemned.… Read more »
Peter Tatchell wins James Joyce Award 2016
Granted an Honorary Fellowship by University College Dublin Award acceptance dedicated to LGBT group, Sexual Minorities Uganda Acceptance speech: The future evolution of human sexuality Human rights and LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been named as winner of Ireland’s prestigious James Joyce Award 2016 and the recipient of an Honorary Fellowship from University College… Read more »
Belgrade Pride goes off without incident despite fears of extremist attack
A Pride parade in Serbia’s capital went off without incident today, with the theme ‘Love Heals the World’ Thousands of police lined the streets today in Belgrade for fear that the parade would be attacked by extremists, as has happened in the past. As well as police on the ground being deployed hours in advance… Read more »
Swedish police slammed for deporting gay Ugandan
Sweden’s justice watchdog has sharply criticised the the way in which a gay Ugandan man was sent home to face possible life imprisonment and even death, even though his case was under review. The man, who first sought asylum in 2012, was expelled from Sweden three days after a court had ordered his rejected asylum… Read more »
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