Ken tours London's gay bars with his posse It was a surreal moment in an already bizarre election; Ken Livingstone standing at the bar in Comptons, chatting happily to bears about his plans for London if elected for a third time as the city’s Mayor.
Ken's whole Soho walkabout was part farce, part hard-nosed politics.
With Brian Paddick, the only openly gay candidate, attracting a respectable number of LGBT voters. click here for the full article
Mayoral candidates tussle over smoking ban A seemingly straight-forward comment from Tory candidate for Mayor of London Boris Johnson about the smoking ban has started a row about donations to his campaign.
In an online question and answer session for The Sun newspaper yesterday, he was asked: "are you still against the smoking ban in pubs and clubs? If so, what, if anything, do you propose to do about it?"
Mr Johnson replied: "What is the point of having local democracy if we don't leave decisions like this to a local level?" click here for the full article
A brief history of homosexuality, played out in Vauxhall Billed as a shambolic evening of informative entertainment, audience participation and politics, the House of Homosexual Culture and Timberlina will present A Brief History of Homosexuality later this month.
Queen of Alternative Style Timberlina was described by Time Out as somewhere between Kenny Everett and Brian Cant, and her groundbreaking shows have ensured she has a solid fan base.
She is well known for taking audience participation into new realms, with her patented 'MAKE AND DO' mobiles. click here for the full article
US Christian celebrity comes out Hath hell frozen over? Azariah Southworth, Nashville resident and host of the famed Christian youth show The Remix, has publicly announced he is gay.
"This has been a long time coming. I'm in a place where I’m at peace with my faith, friends, family and more importantly myself," Southworth told Out and About, a Nashville based LGBT publication.
"I know this will end my career in Christian television, but I must now live my life openly and honestly with everyone. This is my reason for doing this." click here for the full article
According to the Oakland County Sheriff's Office, Jeremy Paul McIntosh, 27, was angry at the store for refusing to give him a job.
He was wearing "facial makeup, lipstick, blue Capri pants, red flip-flops, a flowery blouse and a matching flowery women's bra," according to Oakland County UnderSheriff Michael McCabe. click here for the full article
Royal took drugs, court told in “gay sex blackmail trial” The Old Bailey was told yesterday that the Royal at the centre of a gay sex blackmail plot took drugs. The court also heard a comparision to a Royal aide and the BBC Are You Being Served character Mr Humphries.
Sean McGuigan and Ian Strachan deny blackmailing a member of the Royal family.
Ken emphasises his gay rights credentials The Mayor of London will be taking to the streets of Soho this evening to try to drum up votes among the city's lesbian and gay community.
In a statement earlier today Ken Livingstone, who is standing as the Labour candidate in pursuit of a third term in office, said he has been "at the forefront" of promoting LGBT rights.
"If re-elected in May I will work to ensure that London retains its reputation as a welcoming and safe place for lesbian and gay Londoners and visitors." click here for the full article
Australia may delay gay equality proposals The government of Australia is considering whether or not to bring forward measures in next month's Budget that will give gay citizens equal rights in a range of areas.
Last year the country's Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) report was presented to the federal parliament listing the 58 laws that need to be changed.
Harriet Harman will not face police probe over donations Secretary of State for Equality Harriet Harman will not be referred to the police for her late declaration of donations to her campaign for Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, the Electoral Commission has announced.
She won the Labour deputy leadership in June 2007 and was made Secretary of State for Equality, chair of the Labour party and Leader of the House.
Two donations totalling just over £6,000 and loans of £58,000 were reported to the commission late. click here for the full article
MSPs ask for more information on gay blood ban A committee of the Scottish parliament is to ask the country's government and various blood and tissue donation organisations to explain why men who have sex with men are barred from donating.
The petitions committee met yesterday afternoon at Holyrood to consider a submission from Mr Rob McDowall calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to review existing guidelines and risk assessment procedures to allow healthy gay and bisexual men to donate blood. click here for the full article
Ken hits back over gay World Cup funding The Mayor of London has said he is a strong backer of the 2008 International Gay and Lesbian Football Association World Championship being held in London later this year.
The championship became an issue in the election for Mayor yesterday when LGBT activist and Green party candidate Peter Tatchell attacked incumbent Ken Livingstone for reportedly declining to contribute to the funding and or sign a letter of support for a grant application to the lottery fund. click here for the full article
Male eggs and female sperm "science fiction" says report An international panel of scientists has said that while technology that will allow human egg and sperm cells to be grown from stem cells could be here in five years, the prospects of gay and lesbian couples having children that are genetically theirs are slim.
The report from the Hinxton group of stem cell researchers said that because women have two copies of the X chromosome but men have one X and one Y, there are no circumstances they can forsee an entirely same-sex baby. click here for the full article
TV duo become civil partners in Chelsea ceremony Interior designers Colin McAllister and Justin Ryan have become civil partners. The Channel Five stars held a secret ceremony in London last month.
Details of their nuptials at Chelsea Old Town Hall in London on February 15th have only come to light now.
They first announced their intention to 'tie the knot' in January 2007. Commenting on the delay Mr Ryan, 41, said: "For some reason, we have never got round to making it legal." click here for the full article
Government officials have defended targeting gay men, citing statistics that found there are 1.5 million gay men who have sex with men (MSM) aged between 15 and 49 out of a total population of 184 million.
The director of the National Programme of HIV and AIDS, Mariangela Simao, said: "These groups are more susceptible to HIV infection." click here for the full article
Conservative MP Derek Conway was suspended from the House of Commons in January after being censured by the Commons Standards and Privileges Committee for paying his son Frederick £50,000 of public money for "work" as a researcher.
Mr Conway's elder son Henry, who is gay, had received similar payments during his time at university, totalling £32,000. click here for the full article
The city's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans residents will use a Rainbow Flag theme for their entry in this year's parade on May 17th.
The Lord Mayor, councillor David James, has chosen the theme The people and diverse communities of Plymouth. The organisers of plymouth prideevent 2008 want the LGBT community's families and friends to join its float. click here for the full article
Benedict XVI gave a rare insight into his views to reporters accompanying him on his first Papal visit to the United States, which began yesterday.
In his comments the pontiff moved to dismiss the suggestion that he links sexual abuse of children with homosexuality. click here for the full article
DC Madam with links to Senators found guilty Once considered a viable running mate for Republican Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain, a federal jury on Tuesday found 'D.C. Madam' Deborah Jeane Palfrey guilty of money laundering and racketeering for running a prostitution ring.
Throughout the trial, Palfrey, 52, maintained that her company, Pamela Martin and Associates escort service, provided legal escort services that catered to adult fantasies from 1993 to 2006.
Palfrey, wearing a grey suit and with clasped hands, showed little emotion when the jury found her guilty. click here for the full article
Brothers and Sisters actor confirms he is gay Canadian actor Luke MacFarlane, who plays the character of Scotty on Brothers and Sisters, has come out in an interview with the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail.
Explaining his decision after years of speculation in the press regarding his sexuality he said:
"I don't know what will happen professionally ... that is the fear, but I guess I can't really be concerned about what will happen, because it's my truth." click here for the full article
