As Ethiopian politicians prepare to pass a bill that includes homosexuality in a list of non-pardonable offenses, a group associated with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is planning an anti-gay demonstration to protest increasing homosexuality in the country, Al Jazeera reports. The Weyiniye Abune Tekelehaimanot Association, which is linked with the Orthodox Church, is joining forces with the government-affiliated Addis Ababa ... [Read]
World
Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller has further distanced herself from a 2011 election promise to legalize gay sex. The leader of the People's National Party told viewers of a televised debate, "No-one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. I think we should have a look at the buggery law and members of parliament should be given ... [Read]
Australia's High Court has ruled that a mononymous gender campaigner should be permitted to adopt a neutral gender, The Guardian reports. The ruling ends a four-year campaign by Norrie, who originally applied in 2010 for a name change and "non-specific" gender. Their application was initially supported by the New South Wales Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, but that ... [Read]
Ethiopian lawmakers are planning to pass a bill into law which would make same-sex acts between consenting adults a non-pardonable offense, LGBTQNation reports. Ethiopia's Pardon and Amnesty law will be amended to include homosexuality alongside corruption, human-trafficking, rape, terrorism and smuggling as offenses which are non-pardonable by the country's president. The Council of Ministers endorsed the measure last week, ... [Read]
The first ever Aisa Pink Awards will take place this Sunday, March 16, in Singapore. Launched by Element Magazine, Singapore's first gay men's magazine, the awards will celebrate individuals and businesses in the region who have actively campaigned for diversity and social acceptance of the LGBTQI community. Individuals considered for awards include A-Mei, a Taiwan-based singer who is extremely expressive ... [Read]
The European Parliament, the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union, has adopted a resolution condemning the passing of laws in Uganda and Nigeria which increase the punishment for homosexuality, the Parliament's LGBT Intergroup stated in a press release. Uganda's "Anti Homosexuality Act" and Nigeria's "Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill" both introduce harsher penalities for homosexual citizens. Uganda's law ... [Read]
The European Parliament has adopted new data protection laws that seek to better protect the private information of an individual pertaining to their sexual orientation and gender identity, the Parliament's Intergroup on LGBT rights announced today. Until today's new law, data protection in the EU was regulated by a 1995 directive considered wildly outdated given the extreme advancements in ... [Read]
The Associated Press has released a video showing Cossack militia attacking members of Russian punk group Pussy Riot. The protest group, known for their provocative guerrilla performances, tried to perform under a sign advertising the Sochi Winter Olympics but were swiftly stopped by security personnel. Pussy Riot has frequently clashed with Putin's government for advocating LGBT rights, feminism and ... [Read]
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in Britain has issued a warning to the country's users of gay social apps such as Grindr, Scruff and Jack'd to ensure that any sexual partners met through the app are above the country's age of consent, which is 16-years-old. The warning comes after the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) ... [Read]
Same-sex couples are celebrating in Scotland as the Scottish Parliament has passed the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill, which legalizes same-sex weddings in the country. It was a landslide victory for the bill, which passed with 105 votes in favor and just 18 against. Ministers of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), who were granted a free vote outwith party lines, further rejected ... [Read]
British Olympic diver Tom Daley has revealed via a YouTube video that he is in a relationship with a man. The 19-year-old athlete earned a Bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics and was one of the youngest athletes ever to compete at the games when he debuted in 2008 -- and has since garnered a large following of women ... [Read]
Scotland, the small country that sits on top of England, has given the world many things, including television, refrigerators, the United States Navy, penicillin, Forbes Magazine, hypnotism, the Buick Motor Company and golf (apologies for the latter). Now, though, it's giving something to the thousands of LGBT citizens who call the tartan nation home. Today, Ministers of the Scottish ... [Read]
Stonewall, an LGBT charity in the United Kingdom, today launched a new campaign to tackle "endemic levels of homophobic language in schools." According to the charity, research has proven that 99 percent of lesbian, gay and bisexual youths hear phrases like "that's so gay" or "you're so gay" while in school in the UK. As such, Stonewall is pairing ... [Read]
History was made at 15:06 GMT today, as Queen Elizabeth gave royal assent to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, legalizing same-sex marriage in England and Wales. Now official law, the first marriages are expected to take place by summer 2014 at the latest, according to the government. This comes following months of debate, amendments, rounds of voting and ... [Read]
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled that the whole life sentence given to Peter Moore, who killed four gay men in the U.K. for sexual gratification, is a breach of his human rights. Moore was convicted in 1996 on four counts of murder, after stabbing four gay men across four months in 1995. He told the jury ... [Read]
In a 366 to 161 vote, Britain's House of Commons said 'I Do' to marriage equality with the passage of legislation to legalize same-sex marriage in England and Wales. The bill will move to the House of Lords, where it is expected to face opposition. In June 2012, the online market research agency YouGov found that 71 percent of Britons ... [Read]
Kally and Samantha Mabe, a married couple in South Africa, have been told by their child's school that unless they end their "lifestyle choice" their son will be removed from the school "for his own good." Speaking to the UK's Independent, the couple said they chose the private Christian school for their son as it taught lessons of love, forgiveness ... [Read]
ENGLAND. Conservatives are expected to do badly in Thursday's local elections in England and Wales, largely, it seems because of Prime Minister David Cameron's support for same sex marriage. According to Pink News, C4M, a lobby group opposing gay marriage commissioned a poll that showed record support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP). The UKIP opposes same sex marriage -- ... [Read]
