New Zealand sees high number of gay/bisexual HIV diagnoses
New Zealand has seen an alarming number of gay and bisexual men diagnosed with HIV last year. According to the AIDS Epidemiology Group at the University of Otago, 90 of the 149 new infections diagnosed last year were found in men who have sex with men. HIV campaigners said that rates of the disease in gay and bisexual men were the worst they had ever been, surpassing even the 1980s. The last highest rate was in 2008, when 93 gay or bisexual men... Read More
Archbishop of Canterbury says Church will fight moves to introduce gay marriage
The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams has told a private meeting of influential MPs that he is not prepared to allow Church of England buildings to host religious civil partnerships. The government intends to implement a House of Lords amendment to the Equality Act that would allow churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious buildings to host civil partnership ceremonies should the faith group wish to. The amendment is entirely... Read More
Obama chooses gay man as White House social secretary
A New York Times story last month posed the question, “Could a man be the White House social secretary?” Today it got the answer: Yes. President Barack Obama has announced Jeremy Bernard will become the first man, and the first openly gay person to fill the demanding job. “Jeremy shares our vision for the White House as the People’s House, one that celebrates our history and culture in dynamic and inclusive ways. We look forward to... Read More
Ireland’s first civil partnerships have taken place early and in secret
The first civil partnerships in Ireland have already taken place, more than a month earlier than the planned introduction of the ceremonies. It is understood that at least one member of both couples involved are suffering from serious illnesses with a risk of that one may die before the three month notice period for a civil partnership would elapse. The first couple’s civil partnership was registered on 7th February 2011 and a second, on the... Read More
Facebook adds civil unions option to profiles
(New York) Facebook on Thursday added civil unions and domestic partnerships to the list of relationships that its users can pick from to best describe their romantic status. The world’s largest online social network also gives its users the option to list themselves as single, married, in an open relationship or “it’s complicated,” among others. The option for civil unions or domestic partnerships is only available to Facebook users... Read More
Three Percent Of Marriages In The Balearics Are Between Gay Couples
According to a statement released by the Instituto de Politica Familiar de Baleares (IPFB), nearly 3 percent of marriages in Spain’s Balearic Islands (Islas Baleares) are between gay and lesbian couples. The archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea consists of four large islands – Majorca (Mallorca), Menorca (Menorca), Ibiza (Eivissa) and Formentera – and many smaller islands. The Balearic Islands are popular tourist destinations. In... Read More
LGBTs on TV – does it get better?
It gets better’… or so Dan Savage’s campaign keeps telling us. However with what can only be described as ’endemic’ homophobic bullying in schools in both the United States, and my native United Kingdom, you can forgive the kids who are struggling to see the light at the end of the tunnel. While Savage’s campaign is entirely commendable, it can only do so much. You have to look to a more ubiquitous media source as an agent of... Read More
America’s first gay museum opens in San Francisco
The first gay museum in America opened yesterday in San Francisco. The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Museum occupies a 1,600ft space in the Castro district. Artefacts include sex toys, manuscripts and some of gay rights activist Harvey Milk’s belongings. The museum is only the second globally, as there is a gay museum in Berlin, Germany. Organisers have a five-year lease on the empty shop-front and hope to sustain the museum through... Read More
Ricky Martin, Tiziano Ferro, Joe McElderry, Jim Swilley came out gay in 2010
Ricky Martin, Kieron Richardson, Joe McElderry, Sean Hayes, Ken Mehlman and Jim Swilley are among the men whose coming out gay made headlines in 2010. The list, compiled by gay male entertainment website AfterElton.com, also includes Italian pop star Tiziano Ferro, Paranormal State host Ryan Buell, New Zealand speed skater Blake Skjellerup, Vampire Weekend keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij and Real World: DC alum Mike Manning. International pop star Ricky... Read More
Jimmy Carter, Barney Frank disagree on gay president
Maureen Down neglected to mention Fred Karger, an openly gay man considering a run for president, in her op-ed on Jimmy Carter’s optimism on America being ready for a gay president. In a recent interview with the website ThinkBig.com, the former president equated gay rights to civil rights and said the nation is ready for an openly gay president. “Step by step, we have realized that this issue of homosexuality has the same adverse and progressive... Read More
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