Europe
Law Enforecment Agencies Chase LGBT-Activistst In Samara For Participation In The Demonstration And Distirbution Of Leaflets
On April 11 LGBT activists from Samara organized a demo devoted to the Day of silence. A week later law enforcement officers started to chase LGBT-activists: as a result, one of the activists was accused of participation in the “unauthorized” demonstration, defiance and distribution of leaflets while using “camouflage”. 5 activists took part in the… Read more »
‘Church Has Harmed Gay People’ Says Welby
The Archbishop of Canterbury says it is “impossible” for some parts of the Church to support gay marriage. The Anglican Church has caused “great harm” to homosexuals and is wrestling with the issue of gay marriage, according to the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Most Rev Justin Welby warned Christians in some parts of the world… Read more »
Norway’s PM offers support for same-sex church weddings
The Prime Minster of Norway has offered her support to allowing same-sex couples to marry in churches. Proposals to introduce a marriage liturgy for gay couples were voted down at the start of the Church of Norway’s national synod last week, with 64 of 115 votes against and 51 in favour. Erna Solberg said she… Read more »
Turkey’s Separate Gay Prisons Plan Angers Local LGBT Groups
Gay rights groups in Turkey expressed alarm Tuesday at a government-led project to build prisons only for criminals who declare themselves gay, saying it would lead to more discrimination in a largely homophobic country. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag announced at the weekend that plans were underway to construct separate prisons for openly gay inmates in… Read more »
Malta Legalizes Gay Partnerships, Adoption Rights
Valletta – The Maltese parliament approved a law late on Monday to recognise same-sex partnerships on a legal par with marriage, including allowing gay couples to adopt. The law was greeted by wild celebrations by some 1,000 people in a square just outside parliament in Valletta, the capital of the predominantly Roman Catholic Mediterranean island… Read more »
Homosexual prisoners in Turkey segregated for ‘protection’: minister
Turkish rights activists reacted angrily to a government measure that has led to the segregation of lesbian, gay and transsexual prisoners to protect them from harassment and attacks while in jail. Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag announced the “protecting convicts” measure for openly homosexual prisoners in a written response to a parliamentary question from an opposition… Read more »
Spain: Gay and lesbian retirement home to open in Madrid
A retirement home for gay and lesbian pensioners is to be opened in Madrid. The home, developed by the 26 December Foundation, will be opened next year in a state-of-the-art converted hotel in Lavapiés. Federico Armenteros, the foundation’s president, told the Guardian that society “thinks elderly LGTB don’t exist”. He said the home would not… Read more »
Crimea: Gay woman ‘fearful’ of life under Russia
A Crimean lesbian has said she is terrified that an anti-gay propaganda law will be imposed by Russia. Yelena, who has four children with her partner, told AFP that Russia’s annexing of Crimea from Ukraine had left her worried for her family. The openly gay school teacher spoke only on the condition that her last… Read more »
Britain’s first openly lesbian MP Angela Eagle: I can’t believe the minister for women is anti-gay rights
Speaking in the House of Commons today, Labour’s Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Angela Eagle has condemned the Prime Minister’s judgement for the Maria Miller situation. Britan’s first openly lesbian MP, Ms Eagle, went further to attack the appointment of Nicky Morgan as the new Minister for Women, as she voted against same-sex… Read more »
Italy: Court orders town to recognise gay couple’s marriage for first time
A town in Italy has been ordered to recognise the marriage of a same-sex couple who married in the US. The decision by the court in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, is being hailed as a first step towards same-sex marriage in the country. The couple, Stefano Bucci and Stefano Chigiotti married in 2012 in… Read more »
Church of Norway votes against allowing priests to marry gay couples
The Church of Norway has voted not to allow same-sex couples to be married by its priests in a close run vote. Proposals to introduce a marriage liturgy for gay couples were voted down at the start of the Church’s national synod on Tuesday morning, with 64 of 115 votes against and 51 in favour.… Read more »
Samara LGBT Group Sends ”Death Angels” To Streets Telling People About Antigay Violence
An open event organized by Samara social LGBT-movement “Avers” took place on April 6 for the first time this year. Participants of the event named “Death Angels” told Samara residents about the violence LGBT people experience in Samara region. As well as the year before “Death Angels” are people wearing blood-stained clothes who represent unpunished… Read more »
The Closeted Revolution: Kiev’s Gays Keep Quiet to Deny Putin a Propaganda Win
Last fall, Ukrainian gay activist Bogdan Globa eagerly joined his countrymen to protest then-President Viktor Yanukovych’s last-minute refusal to sign a trade and political agreement with the European Union. Gathering in Kiev’s Independence Square, or “Maidan,” the impromptu protest quickly transformed into a movement that, months later, led to Yanukovych’s ouster. For Globa and other… Read more »
Russian LGBT Groups Relaunch Week Of Action Against Homophobia, Biphobia And Transphobia
Within the “Rainbow dialogue” opening event in Moscow on March, 30 everyone was be able to get acquainted with a diversity of gender and queer identities , communicate with various representatives of the LGBT community and get answers to their questions. The event was disturbed by excessive attention from police, riot squads and by searches… Read more »
Gay Couples to Tie the Knot in First Same-Sex Marriages in Britain
London — Peter McGraith and David Cabreza will marry in London a stroke after midnight on Friday, marking the culmination of a campaign to end a distinction many British gay couples say made them feel like second class citizens. Saturday will be the first day gay couples will be allowed to tie the knot in… Read more »
Britain’s First Gay Couples Prepare To Tie The Knot
England and Wales legalised gay marriage in July Civil partnerships were just not enough, say activists Churches remain opposed to homosexual marriage London – (Reuters) Peter McGraith and David Cabreza will marry in London a stroke after midnight on Friday, marking the culmination of a campaign to end a distinction many British gay couples say… Read more »
Gibraltar approves civil partnerships bill
A bill legalising civil partnerships for same-sex couples in Gibraltar has been approved by the island’s Parliament. Campaigners have welcomed the decision, describing it as an important step towards equality. Felix Alvarez, the founder and chairman of Gibraltar’s Equality Rights Group said: “We heartily thank the Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, the Deputy Chief Minister, Joseph… Read more »
UK budget: Alan Turing £42m research institute announced
Mathematician who helped the Allies win World War II was convicted for having gay sex was only finally pardoned in December 2013 A £42 million research institute is to be set up in the name of Alan Turing, the gay genius who helped the Allies win World War 2. A research fund honoring Alan Turing,… Read more »
Stephen Fry named presenter of the year for global homophobia documentary
Actor, presenter and journalist Stephen Fry has been honoured with an award as presenter of the year for a BBC series which saw him travel around the world looking at homophobia. Mr Fry beat David Attenborough and Davina McCall to win the honour at the Royal Television Society Programme Awards on Tuesday. The award was… Read more »
Faroe Islands: Equal marriage bill voted down
A same-sex marriage bill has been defeated on the Faroe Islands. In a second reading vote on Thursday 13 March, 20 lawmakers voted against the legislation, while only 11 voted in favour. The Faroe Islands, made up of around 50,000 people, is currently the only Nordic country without civil partnerships or equal marriage, and there… Read more »
Romania: Same-sex partnerships bill unanimously rejected by parliament committee
A bill which would have legalised same-sex civil partnerships has been unanimously rejected by a parliamentary committee in Romania. According to stiripentruviata.ro, the bill would have allowed both same and opposite-sex couples to register their partnerships, allowing them to “enjoy rights like the right to inheritance, the right to become a co-beneficiary on the other’s… Read more »
Russia: Moscow’s largest gay club closes after string of vigilante attacks
Moscow’s largest gay club will soon close its doors for good, after a string of vigilante attacks, including shootings, violent assaults and the release of poison gas. According to Queerussia, the Central Station club, which is Moscow’s biggest gay club, will shut its doors for good, after owner Andrei Lischinsky resigned as CEO earlier this… Read more »
Health and human rights crisis looming for people who use drugs in the Crimea
The International Network of People who Use Drugs (INPUD) and the Eurasian Network of People who use Drugs (ENPUD) wish to call the attention of civil society, the United Nations, and member states to a largely overlooked aspect of the catastrophic situation currently unfolding in the Crimea. As has been widely reported, the Crimean peninsula,… Read more »
HIV situation in Norway in 2013
In 2013, there were 233 newly diagnosed HIV cases in Norway, compared to 242 in 2012. The decline is mainly seen among heterosexuals. Among men who have sex with men (MSM), the HIV figures remain high. Increased HIV testing, condom use and more HIV-infected people on treatment are the most important preventive measures. Of the… Read more »
Norway: Group of 10 youths sentenced after luring and attacking gay man with fake dating profile
Ten 20-year-olds in Norway have been sentenced with community service and fined a collective equivalent of £10,200 after they lured a middle-aged gay man with a fake dating profile and then attacked him with a baseball bat and BB-gun. The men had created a dating profile on Gaysir.no to lure an unnamed gay man in… Read more »
Norway: Group of 10 youths sentenced after luring and attacking gay man with fake dating profile
Ten 20-year-olds in Norway have been sentenced with community service and fined a collective equivalent of £10,200 after they lured a middle-aged gay man with a fake dating profile and then attacked him with a baseball bat and BB-gun The men had created a dating profile on Gaysir.no to lure an unnamed gay man in… Read more »
Lithuania ‘gay propaganda’ bill fails to get the votes
Bill is just one of several proposals intended to curtail the rights of the LGBTI community the parliament will consider this spring A bill that would have introduced Russia-style gay propaganda laws to Lithuania has failed to get the votes today (13 March). Lawmakers made their decision on a bill that would have outlawed gay… Read more »
Rainbow Reykjavik…Coming Soon!
Coming soon…Rainbow Reykjavik
Handsome dancers show off tropical flair at the Madeiran Carnival
The island of Madeira comes alive during carnival season, an annual event celebrating the last days before Lent with typical drinks and dances that last for days on end I’m back to the British coldness after heating up with dancers at the Madeiran ‘Carnaval’. I’m still reeling from the colors and the perfumes of one… Read more »
Can the far right in Ukraine accept LGBTI rights and equality?
Svyatoslav Sheremet, the leader of the Gay Forum of Ukraine, talks to PRIDE Solidarity about the precarious place of LGBTI equality in the Maidan movement As the Russian Parliament gave authority to President Vladimir Putin to use military action against Ukraine, the country’s LGBTI citizens wondered if the embattled government would respect their equality. Svyatoslav… Read more »
Organizers of First ‘Gay Olympics’ Tell of Harassment
Days after the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympics, Russia’s first Open Games for LGBT athletes have been jeopardized by what organizers say is a crackdown that highlights the Russian government’s harsh stance on homosexuality. Organizers of the Russian Open Games — an athletic festival fashioned after the Olympics but intended for the LGBT community… Read more »
Strong support for gay marriage in Ireland finds latest poll
Recent poll shows 76% of Irish people said they would vote in favour of introducing same-sex marriage in the country, though nearly half would have ‘reservations’ More than three quarters (76%) of Irish people would welcome the introduction of same-sex marriage, according to a recent poll. Additionally, 80% of those surveyed agreed that same-sex couples… Read more »
Russia: Social network page accused of breaking anti-gay ‘propaganda’ laws acquitted of charges
A woman accused of breaking Russia’s anti-gay “propaganda” laws for setting up a pro-LGBT support page has now been acquitted of charges. Last month, Lena Klimova, founder of the LGBT support group ‘Children-404: We Exist,’ was charged for promoting “unconventional sexual relations among minors, resulting in information aimed at developing juveniles to explore unconventional sexualities”.… Read more »
Poll: 76% of people in Ireland support equal marriage
A new poll has found that a majority of Irish people still support the right of gay and lesbian couples to get married. According to a recent Red C poll for Irish broadcasters RTE, 76% of people in Ireland believe that marriages between same-sex couples should be legally recognised. The poll was published in the… Read more »
German court declines to rule on joint adoption by gay couples
Germany’s highest court has refused to rule on allowing same-sex couples in civil partnerships the right to adopt children. On Friday, the Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe, south-west Germany, dismissed on procedural grounds a request from a Berlin district court to rule on the matter. Deutsche Welle reports the case was introduced by a gay couple… Read more »
Germany’s top court rules gay couples are banned from joint adoption
Despite the Constitutional Court ruling last year that gay couples could adopt together on a technicality, they have thrown out a referral asking them to rule on joint same-sex adoptions Germany’s top court has ruled gay couples are banned from joint adoption today (21 February), despite being allowed to on a technicality. The Constitutional Court… Read more »
Your gay guide to the Portuguese paradise of Madeira
Founder of GayMadeira.com Tobi Hughes shares his favorite spots for enjoying this idyllic island For a small island, Madeira has some major claims to fame. The smallest of three islands off Portugal’s coast holds the record title for the world’s biggest fireworks show. Madeira is also home to (arguably) the world’s most attractive football player:… Read more »
Russia bans foreign gay couples from adopting children
Russia says it will no longer allow foreign couples to adopt Russian children if their country has same-sex marriage – or if the couples are gay. Russian news agency RIA reports the move will affect countries that traditionally adopt large quantities of Russian orphans, including Spain, France and Canada. The ban will apply to married… Read more »
Turkey: Mother of gay murdered boy screams ‘I would have killed him myself’
A father in Turkey has been jailed for killing his gay son – but the mother seems rather more concerned on how his sexuality brought shame on the family. Seventeen-year-old Rosin Çiçek was found beaten, bloody and with a bullet wound in his head at the side of the road in a Turkish town on… Read more »
First gay athlete wins medal at Sochi Olympics
Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz says she hopes to create positive conversation surrounding the outrage over the Russia Winter Olympics Austria’s Daniela Iraschko-Stolz became the first openly gay athlete to medal at Russia’s Winter Games yesterday (11 February). She came second in the first ever women’s ski jump competition at the Olympics. Iraschko-Stolz actually jumped the furthest… Read more »
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