Apr 30: USA:  Gay Service Group in Colorado Calling for Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’.  A reception in Denver is the first stop on a three city tour of Colorado communities organised by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), the nation’s only non-profit legal services and policy organization dedicated to ending “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
Apr 30: UK:  Pioneering London Teacher Celebrates Lesbian, Gay History.  A London teacher who has pioneered Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) History Month over the past three years has just published an account of how she has developed the school’s celebrations.
Apr 30: Costa Rica:  IDAHO Founder Welcomes Declaration of National Day Against Homophobia in Costa Rica.  Organisers of International Day against Homophobia (IDAHO) have welcomed the decision of the government of Costa Rica to officially declare IDAHO Day on May 17.
Apr 30: UK:  Gay Lifestyle Shop to Sell Baby Clothes.  Shoppers at the Prowler gay lifestyle shop in London’s Brewer Street expect to see the latest designs from Armani, aussieBum, Calvin Klein, Diesel and Dolce & Gabbana.  But baby clothes?
Apr 30: China:  Gay Social Networking Site Plans Expansion Into China.  Gaydar, one of the world’s largest ‘social networking’ sites serving gay men and women throughout the world, is set to expand into China.
Apr 29: Review:  Gay Civil Unions or Partnerships Not Full Equality, Says Bishop.  We meet the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire.  The opening gambit:  What is the correct way to address a bishop of the American Episcopal Church? - “Gene would do very nicely,” the bishop suggested.  The conversation soon drifted into the subject of marriage – same-sex marriage, and the machinations of the conservative Religious Right who “thump the pulpit” at every opportunity about what they call ‘the gay agenda’, which includes marriage equality for gay couples.
Apr 28: UK:  Vote for Ken Livingstone, European Gay Group Urges EU Nationals in London.  A European-wide gay rights organisation is endorsing Ken Livingstone as Mayor for London in Thursday’s election and is urging all EU nationals living in London to vote for him.
Apr 28: Russia:  Moscow Gay Human Rights Marches Ban Appealed to Court.  Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride lodged an appeal with the Tverskoi district court of Moscow this morning over the bans of City’s authorities of ten human rights marches which they planned for the May holidays, asking the court to rule the actions of Moscow City government unlawful.
Apr 26: Belarus:  Rainbow Flag Paraded in Minsk for First Time as Gays Join March for Chernobyl Victims.  When Sergey Androsenko, the 19 year-old leader of the Gay Youth Association in Belarus, paraded the gay “Rainbow Flag” through the streets of Minsk this afternoon, a little piece of LGBT history was made.
Apr 26: Russia:  Russian Gays to Stage ‘Day of Silence’ in St. Petersburg Next Month.  Gay men and women in St. Petersburg will be marking the first-ever Russian Day of Silence on Saturday May 3 with a rally on Malaya Konyushennaya Street.
Apr 25: Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride 2008: In a Park Behind the Fence – Again?  The office of Latvian Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis and Integration Minister Oskars Kastens have both said that next month’s Riga Pride and March for Equality should take place in an enclosed park as last year at Vermanes Park in central Riga.
Apr 24: UK:  New STI Figures Show Need for Much Wider Work, Say Gay Lib Dems.  New figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats show that there has been a huge increase in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as Chlamydia, Syphilis and Anogenital Warts among the middle-aged and elderly since 2002.
Apr 24: Russia:  Moscow Mayor Bans Gay Pride Events for Third Year in a Row.  Gay activists in Moscow could be taking scores of cases to the European Court of Human Rights following yesterday evening’s report by the Interfax news agency and Agence France Press that the Moscow authorities have said that they will not allow the “conduct of the unsanctioned public actions by sexual minorities” during the May holidays.
Apr 24: USA:  Oregon Business Leaders Honoured for Commitment to Gay Rights.  Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski and House Speaker Jeff Merkley presented awards at the Basic Rights Education Fund’s 15th Annual Oregonians Against Discrimination Business Leaders Luncheon held yesterday.
Apr 24: USA:  Campaign for Repeal of US Military Ban on Gays Launches in San Diego.  A San Diego reception marks the beginning of a six city whistle-stop tour of communities in the Western United States to highlight efforts to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, organised by Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN).
Apr 23: UK:  Gay Men in Birmingham Offered New Testing Methods for STDs by HGL.  Gay men in Birmingham are being offered testing for sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, by Healthy Gay Life (HGL), a ‘outreach’ branch of the Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust.
Apr 21: UK:  London Will Elect a Gay-Friendly Mayor Next Month.  Londoners will be electing a gay-friendly mayor next month.  All the main contenders expressed their support for Pride London at a LGBT ‘hustings’ at the weekend.
Apr 21: Russia:  Russian Gay Activists Again Demand Gay Blood Donation Ban Repeal.  Russian gay activists have today once again demanded the repeal of the ban on blood donations by homosexual people.  The request was made in the letter sent to the Ministry of health and social development.
Apr 18: USA:  Rainbow Flag Is Unfinished, Says Designer of the ‘Gay Flag’.  By Gilbert Baker.  Our movement is built on the shoulders of individuals who stand for freedom and equality. One at time, in every town, in every country, people who live openly, truthfully.  Each one of us is a drop of water in a wave of change for human rights and justice.  Indeed we are a rainbow of hope, love, and liberation that wraps around the Earth.
Apr 17: USA:  Unsung Heroes of the Gay World: Vexillographer Gilbert Baker.  Gilbert Baker does not roll off the tongue as a name that everyone knows – as a giant of worldwide community of gay men and women, like Elton John or Ellen DeGeneres.  Mention Gilbert Baker when you pop into the pub or bar tonight and you are more than likely to get a “Gilbert who?” response.  But then, what this gay man gave the world is instantly recognisable – and not only to the international LGBT community, but to most people on this planet.
Apr 17: Kyrgyzstan:  Police Search ‘Safe Space’ for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender People.  Bishkek police have carried out a warrantless raid on the community centre of an organisation in Kyrgyzstan working for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in violation of the right to freedom of association, Human Rights Watch said yesterday.
Apr 16: USA:  Former Asst. Secretary of Defense Urges Congress to Allow Gays to Serve Openly in US Military.  Lawrence J. Korb, former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Ronald Reagan, today urged Congress to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law banning lesbian, gay and bisexual personnel from serving openly in the military.
Apr 16: UK:  Plymouth to Celebrate 30th Anniversary of Gay ‘Rainbow Flag’.  The 30th anniversary of the Rainbow Flag is to be celebrated during this year’s annual Lord Mayor’s Day Parade in Plymouth in May.
Apr 16: UK:  Swansea Gay Pride Postpones Inaugural Event to Next Year.  A potential clash of dates of Gay Prides in South Wales on the same day has been defused by the organisers of Swansea Pride who announced this morning that they would be postponing their inaugural event to next year.
Apr 15: UK:  London Mayor Blocks Funds for Gay World Football Championship.  The Mayor of London has refused to contribute to the funding of the 2008 International Gay & Lesbian Football Association World Championship, which is being held in London in August.
Apr 14: UK:  HotScots Lift Fitlads Cup in Anglo-Scottish Battle of Gay Football Clubs After Penalty Shootout.  Any football encounter between and English and a Scottish team, no matter at what level, is more that “just a game”.  It’s serious business between the “Old Enemy” or “Auld Enemy”, depending on which side of Hadrian’s Wall you are from.
Apr 14: UK:  Gay Activist Tatchell in the Hot Seat Tonight at Natural History Museum.  Proud Heritage, the new online national museum for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history and cultural ancestry which goes live on Friday, is to be launched this evening with a question and answers session featuring noted gay rights activist Peter Tatchell.  “I am going to be in the hot seat,” Mr. Tatchell admitted.
Apr 14: Gibraltar:  Feetham “Tightening Noose on Human Rights”, Gay Group Claims.  Equality Rights Group GGR has reacted strongly to the Gibraltar Government’s recently-published Consultation Paper on Legal Aid and Legal Assistance.
Apr 14: Thailand:  Fading Smiles: One Third of Thailand’s Gays Threatened by HIV.  Commentary by Utopia Asia.  The Thai Ministry of Public Health has released figures detailing the dramatic rise of HIV infection among MSM (men who have sex with men). Estimated at 28% in 2005, that number has increased to just under 31% in 2007.
Apr 13: UK:  Use of ‘Gay’ as Synonym for Uncool or Rubbish Must Be Challenged, Says Minister.  David Lammy, the Member of Parliament for Tottenham in London and Minister of Skills at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, was to have been the keynote speaker at the launch of the UK’s International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) last month.  He had to pull out of attending at the last moment because of family reasons.  No one was more disappointed than Mr. Lammy himself.  He has released the text of what he would have said at the event.
Apr 10:  Moscow Gays Plan to Go Into ‘Lions Den’ to Mark IDAHO Next Month.  Gay’s in Moscow will be marking International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) by going into “the lion’s den”.
Apr 10: USA:  Archbishop Tutu Speaks On Human Rights for Gay People.  Archbishop Desmond Tutu, arguably the most respected living Anglican (Episcopal), has condemned the persecution of gay and transgender people – and, apologised on behalf of his Church for ostracising gay men and women.
Apr 10: UK:  Cardiff to Stage a Gay Pride in September After All.  The traditional annual Cardiff “gay event” on the first Saturday in September, looks like being on again.  Earlier this year, the organisers of Cardiff Mardi Gras announced that there would be no event this year.  But last night, a separate group unveiled plans for a Cardiff Pride on September 6 at a meeting in City Hall, pledging that they were not taking over Mardi Gras.
Apr 9: UK:  Row Brews over London Screening of Film on Gays in Russia and Pride.  A row is brewing over the screening last week of a German/Russian film at the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival amid allegations of breaches of copyright and even a forged signature on a  ‘release’.
Apr 8: Egypt:  Over a Hundred NGO’s Slam HIV-Based Arrests and Trials of 'Gay' Men.  As five more men face trial in Cairo on 9 April in a widening and dangerous police crackdown on people living with HIV/Aids, 117 organisations worldwide working in the fields of health and human rights condemned the crackdown and the participation of medical personnel.
Apr 8: UK:  MEP In High Level Meetings with Home Office Following Gay Iranian Teen’s Return to UK.  A series of high level meetings with senior members of the Home Office as been arranged by MEP Michael Cashman (West Midlands, Labour - PES), President of the European Parliament´s Intergroup on Gay and Lesbian Rights, to discuss the case of Mehdi Kazemi who was retuned to the UK last Friday from the Netherlands.
Apr 6: UK:  Police Detain Gay Rights Campaigner As Olympic Torch Is Paraded Through London.  Peter Tatchell, the gay human rights campaigner, was detained by police this afternoon in London as the Olympic torch was controversially paraded through the capital on its way to Beijing.  He was held briefly before being released with a warning.
Apr 5: EU/USA:  Euro MP Launches Campaign to End HIV Discrimination of Visitors to USA.  London’s Liberal Democrat MEP Baroness Sarah Ludford launched an online campaign yesterday to end the US policy of virtually refusing travel visas to people with HIV, a policy that has no public health rationale.
Apr 4: UK:  Mehdi, the Gay Iranian Teen Who Faces Deportation, Back in UK. Mehdi Kazemi, the 19 years old gay Iranian being detained by the authorities in  the Netherlands, was returned to UK earlier today.
Mehdi, the Gay Iranian Teen Who Faces Deportation, Back in UK. Mehdi Kazemi, the 19 years old gay Iranian being detained by the authorities in  the Netherlands, was returned to UK earlier today.
Apr 4: UK:  Posters Released for International Day Against Homophobia 2008.  Posters for this year’s International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), designed by students at the School of Graphic Design at the University of Arts in London, have been released.
Apr 4: USA/UK/Iran:  US Presidential Candidates Called On to Stop Deportations of Gay Iranians From UK.  Equality Forum, a US-headquartered national and international GLBT civil rights organization, called on Presidential candidates Clinton, McCain and Obama to send letters to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown to revoke the deportation orders for the return of gays and lesbians in the UK to Iran.
Apr 3: Poland:  ‘Badges’ Issued to the Two Married Gays by Polish Parliament Being Auctioned on ebay.  The visitor ‘badges’ issued to the gay married couple Brendan Fay and Dr. Thomas Moulton for their visit to the Polish Parliament on March 31 are being auctioned on ebay in two separate ‘lots’, with the money raised going to Polish “good causes”.
Apr 3: Iran:  Gay Intergroup Urges Iran to Release 30 men Arrested in Esfahan.  The European Parliament’s all-party ‘Intergroup’ for lesbian and gay human rights has today called on the Iranian authorities to release the 30 men presumed to still be in custody following a raid on a party.
Apr 3: International:  Gay Activist Says Straight Male Machismo Underpins All Tyranny.  Peter Tatchell, the gay London-based international activist, argues that by challenging traditional heterosexual masculinity, the queer emancipation movement can contribute to the liberation of all of humanity.  This is the text of his speech to the European Feminist Summit held in London last month.
Apr 3: China:  Conviction of Human Rights Activist Betrays China's Olympic Promises – Amnesty.  Amnesty International reacted angrily to today’s news that a human rights defender has been sentenced to three and a half years imprisonment and one year political rights deprivation in China. 
Apr 1: Germany/European Union:  Denying Gay Partners Pension Rights Is Unjustifiable – Court.  The refusal to grant the ‘survivor’s pension’ for gay and lesbian life partners constitutes direct discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled this morning.
Apr 1: Poland:  Married American Gay Couple Visit Warsaw – Day Two Was “Amazing”.  An amazing day – that was how Tom Moulton summed up the second day of his Warsaw visit with partner Brendan Fay.