July 31:  UK:  High Court Judge Endorses the ‘Sexual Apartheid’ of Same-Sex Marriage Ban.  The High Court in London has today rejected an application by a British lesbian couple  – Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger – that their same-sex marriage in Canada should be recognised in the UK, in the same way that heterosexual marriages in Canada are automatically recognised by the UK authorities.
July 31:  UK:  Background To Our Legal Challenge.  By Sue Wilkinson and Celia Kitzinger.  Note: This article was written before today's High court judgement.
July 30:  Estonia:  Tallinn Stages Its Third Gay Pride Next Week.  By Lisette Kampus.  Estonia has proven to be the most tolerant of three Baltic States, the Pride marches have never been banned nor has there been any acts of violence or public hate speech from politicians.
July 30:  UK:  Peter Tatchell to Speak at Gloucester Gay Pride.  World-famous gay and lesbian human rights activist Peter Tatchell has accepted an invitation to speak at next month’s Gloucestershire Rainbow Day (Gay Pride) to be staged in Gloucester.
July 29:  Romania:  Discrimination: Gays Fined for Cuddling in Park While Straight Couple Ignored for Having Sex. By Razvan (a gay Romania teen).  My name is ‘Razvan’, I’m a 17 year-old teenager in Romania.  And the worst part...I’m gay.  I realised I was gay at about 14 and, unlike 99% of other gay Romanians, I chose to come out of the closet.
July 26:  Latvia:    Remembering the Gay Victims of the Nazis in the Kurtenhof Concentration Camp in Salaspils.  It was, ironically, the one event during Riga Gay Pride that escaped the attention of the ultra-right.  A small group travelled the 20 kilometres to the Salaspils Memorial on the site of the notorious Nazi concentration camp Kurtenhof.
July 25:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride Reaction: Action by Authorities “Shameful” and “Pure Homophobia”  The Liberal Democrats, Pride London and Amnesty International have all hit out at the events in Riga on Saturday when the banned Gay Pride march was moved into an indoor event to comply with a court judgement.
July 25:  Finland:  First Political Gay Group Founded in Helsinki.  The first political LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi and transgender) association, Pink Rose, was founded in Finland during the Helsinki Pride 2006 at the beginning of this month.
July 25:  Europe:  Council of Europe: Gay Pride Marches Should Be Allowed – and Protected.  Viewpoint by Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.  
July 24:  Latvia:  Neo-Nazis Terrorise Riga Gay Pride Rally.  By Peter Tatchell.  Neo-Nazi, Christian fundamentalist and extreme nationalist protesters terrorised participants at the Gay Pride rally in the Latvian capital of Riga last Saturday (July 22, 2006).  Private armed guards were drafted in to provide security, after the Latvian police repeatedly failed to halt the aggression of the homophobic mob.
July 24:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride: “The Story That Needs To Be Told”.  Open Letter From Lars.  Dearest friends:  I am writing this in English since the story needs to be told far and wide. This is the story from my perspective. Everyone else who was there will have other stories to share.  Gaston and I are safe after yesterday's well-organized fascist attacks against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community in Riga during Pride.
July 22:  Latvia:  Gay Pride Organisers "Trapped" in Riga Hotel – Rescued by Cabinet Minister  Organisers of Riga Gay Pride have been "rescued" after being trapped for hours in the in the Reval Latvia Hotel, with "hysterical" protesters surrounding the building.
July 22:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride: Putting the European Union to the Test.  Commentary.  Sophie In’t Veld, the Dutch MEP and a vice president of the European Parliament’s Intergroup for gay and lesbian rights did not mince her words.  “It’s putting Europe to the test,” she charged. 
July 22:  Latvia:  Prohibiting Gay Rights March Is Blow for Democracy. Commentary by Mozaīka.  ... Democracy is being held hostage by the strengthening forces of extremism in Latvian society.  These forces have been encouraged by the unwillingness of the political elite to rein them in, and indeed by the continuous barrage of hate speech indulged in with impunity by many politicians themselves.
July 22:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride: It's Worse Than Moscow.  By Nikolai Alexeyev.  It is astonishing.  It’s worse than Moscow.  There is total chaos here.  The police seem very weak and disorganized. The fascists are able to act at will. And Latvia is in the European Union.
July 21:  Latvia:    Citing National Security, Court Says No To Riga Gay Pride.  The Administrative Court in Riga has this afternoon upheld the decision of the City authorities to ban the Gay Pride Parade, due to be held tomorrow, on the grounds of “national security” and concerns over public order.
July 21:  UK:  Tory Leader Fails to Respond to MEP’s Concern Over Euro Vote on Homophobic Violence.  A leading Labour Member of the European Parliament has expressed his disappointment with the Leader of the conservative Party and his failure to explain the actions of his MEPs. 
July 21:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride: We Will Not Organise Any Illegal Event.  As the decision of the Administrative Court as to whether or not tomorrow’s Gay Pride March in Riga can go ahead, organisers said today that “regardless of the outcome, we will not organise any illegal event”.
July 20:  Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride March Ban Is Wrong Says, Euro-MP Cashman.  Labour MEP Michael Cashman has reacted with anger at the decision by authorities in Latvia to ban this year’s Pride march which was scheduled for this Saturday (22nd July). 
July 20:  UK/Iran:  Two Exiled Gay Iranians Pull Out of House of Commons Meeting.  The two exiled gay Iranians who were due to be at the House of Commons yesterday evening for a “protest meeting” on homophobic and other persecutions pulled out at the last moment.  (14.00 UTC)
July 20:  Latvia:  Latvian President and Amnesty Both Condemn Restriction of LGBT Rights.  The President of Latvia and Amnesty International (AI) have both issued statements this morning following yesterday’s decision by the Riga City Council to ban this weekend’s planned Gay Pride march in the capital.
July 20:  Iran:  A Message To the World From Gay Men and Women in Iran.  Homosexual Ladies and Gentlemen, transsexuals and transgender, the human right activists and peace lovers along with people who love democracy and equality [...]  once more we send our support and appreciation for your protest on July 19th and we believe that freedom and democracy in Iran is achievable throughout efforts and struggles of the Iranian public and actions of different social groups.
July 19:  Latvia:  A Blow for Democracy: Riga Council Denies Permit for Gay Pride March.  The Riga city council this morning denied a permit Saturday’s “Riga Pride 2006” march.  The city council justified its decision by invoking threats of violence allegedly received from extremist groups – and the police’s inability to guarantee security and order during the march.
July 18:  Belarus:  Belarusian Gay Activist Keeps Fighting the Dictatorship.  Gay Belarusian activist Slava Bortnik is interviewed by GayRussia – and gives a rare insight into life – and life as a gay – in the country considered the most repressive in Europe
July 17:  Latvia:  Latvian Priest Strongly Supports Riga Gay Pride.  An English translation of an interview with openly gay Maris Sants conducted by GayRussia website.
July 17:  USA:  US Navy Discharging Service Member Who Attended New York Gay Marriage Rally.  The United States Navy has initiated discharge proceedings against a 10-year veteran who attended a June 3 rally in support of same-sex marriage on New York's Brooklyn Bridge, the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network(SLDN) revealed today.
July 17:  Iran:  Dublin’s “Iran Protest” Might Stop Rush Hour Traffic After Media Attention.  Dublin’s contribution to the world day of action on human rights abuses in Iran on Wednesday – the first anniversary of the execution by hanging of two Iranian gay teenagers – is attracting considerable media attention.
July 16:  Latvia:  Tension and Uncertainty Rising Around Second Gay Pride in Riga.  Latvian interior minister Dzintars Jaundžeikars went on record last week that the Interior Ministry would not be able to provide adequate security during this year’s Pride March, scheduled to be held on Saturday (July 22).
July 16:  Iran:    House of Commons to Host London’s part of International Day of Action Over Iran.  To mark the first anniversary of Iran’s hanging of two gay teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, activists are joining Members of Parliament inside the House of Commons on Wednesday evening as part of the international “day of action”.
July 16:  Iran:    New Revelations on Execution of Gay Teens in Iran a Year Ago.  As gays around world prepare to mark the first anniversary of the execution of two gay teenagers in Iran, there are new revelations about the execution of Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni in the Iranian city of Mashhad on July 19, 2005, based on research by Simon Forbes of OutRage! and contacts inside Iran.
July 16:  Gay Games:  2006 Tom Waddell Award Recipients Announced at Gay Games.  Lydia la Rivière-Zijdel and Derek Liecty were named by the International Federation of Gay Games as recipients of the 2006 Tom Waddell Award yesterday at the Chicago Gay Games VII opening ceremony.
July 14:  UK:  Stonewall Seeks New Trustees.  Stonewall is holding an open recruitment process to find up to three more trustees to support its work.
July 14:  UK:  Terrence Higgins Trust Launches Credit Card to Raise Funds.  Terrence Higgins Trust has launched a credit card which will help raise funds for its work tackling HIV and sexual ill health.
July 14:  Russia:  Russia to Lift Gay Blood Ban Says Ministry of Health.  Russia is set to lift the “gay blood” ban, the Ministry of Health has announced in a joint statement with the Office of the General Prosecutor.
July 14:  Poland/Iran:  Polish Gays Will Protest Iranian Gay Executions Despite Friendship Treaty.  By By Michał Rolecki (Gay News, Poland).  As gays world-wide are preparing to protest the treatment of gays in Iran on the first anniversary of the execution of two gay teens in Mashhad, north east Iran, Polish gays are planning a protest as well.
July 12:  Latvia:  Prominent Foreign Politicians to Take Part in Riga Pride.  Several European politicians will be taking part in Friendship Days and Riga Gay Pride, due to take place in the Latvian capital next week.
July 12:  Poland:  Gay Army' TV Series Axed in Poland Before Being Screened.  The Polish commercial television channel Polsat has dropped plans to screen the Danish gay reality TV series Gay Army, amid fears that the company would be hit by a massive fine from the Polish media watchdog National Radio and Television Council.
July 12:  USA/Europe:  New HIV Drug Licensed in the US: EU Approval Expected This Year.  A new anti-HIV drug has been approved for use by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), the regulatory authority responsible for assessing medications in the United States.
July 10:  USA:  DC Police Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit Wins National Award For Innovation.  The District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department’s Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit has won an Innovations in American Government Award for reaching out to an underserved community and creating a model for community policing.
July 9:  Iran:  Iranian Gay Group Backs July 19 Worldwide Protests.  Support for the five demands proposed by London-based gay human rights group Outrage! for the worldwide day of protest against Iran on Wednesday July 19 has come from Iran’s leading gay group, the Persian Gay and Lesbian Organisation (PGLO).
July 9:  Poland:  Gay Pride Promoted Warsaw, Say Organisers.  The suggestion from organisers of last month’s Warsaw Pride (Parada Równości) that the event pumped as more 1.2 million PLN (€300,000) into the city’s economy from foreign visitors alone has been given short shrift by the city’s authorities.
July 9:  UK:  Teens Prepare for UK’s First ‘Gay Prom’.  Gay teens from across the country will be converging on London next weekend for what is thought to be the very first “Gay Prom” to be held in the UK.
July 9:  UK:  Gaydar Radio Joins the Chris Moyles “Gay” Furore.  Gaydar Radio, the only gay and lesbian radion station in the United Kingdom, is seeking a meeting with the broadcast regulator Ofcom in the wake of the “Chris Moyles saga”.
July 7:  UK:   Truce Is Over As Singers Continue To Urge Killing of Gays.  Concerts by reggae stars Buju Banton and Beenie Man have been cancelled in Brighton and Bournemouth following successful lobbying of council leaders and police by local gay community organisations, with the support of gay human rights group OutRage!
July 4:  Sweden:  Sweden, Stop Buju Banton Concert Tour.  By Peter Tatchell.  OutRage! in London appeals to Swedish LGBT groups to halt the upcoming concert tour of Jamaican “kill queers” singer Buju Banton.  
July 4:  UK:  Social Attitudes Towards Gay Must Change, Says TUC Boss.  Recent changes in the law mean that lesbians and gay men can now tackle any prejudice they encounter in work or in their everyday lives, but until the UK witnesses a real shift in social attitudes, homophobia and discrimination will continue to make life tough for many, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) warned last week.
July 4:  UK:  Stonewall, Mayor of London Launch Anti-Homophobic Bullying DVD.  A new anti-homophobic bullying DVD aimed at teachers is to be launched today by the Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone.
July 3:  UK:  Pope Is “Queen of Homophobia”, Says Tatchell.  Papal homophobia was mocked by human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell at Saturday’s EuroPride parade in London.  Tatchell marched with a placard depicting the Pope as a drag queen, with the caption:  “Pope ‘Betty’ Benedict XVI – Queen of Homophobia.”
July 1:  UK:  We Don’t Have to Be Scared Anymore Say Gay Sailors at EuroPride.  Petty Officer Karen Surtees admitted today that she had been in a mild form of panic over the past day.  And it was not the fact that the “veteran” of 14 years service in the Royal Navy would be one of a couple of dozen gay men and women serving in the navy marching in full uniform through the streets of London in EuroPride.
July 1:  UK:  British Airways Target of Protest at EuroPride.  Demonstrators from a coalition of eight groups – Elizabeth-Must-Stay, GALHA, Green Party, LGBT Greens, LGCM, Medical Justice, OutRage!, and UKLGIG – staged a demonstration at the British Airways EuroPride Chill-Out Lounge.
July 1:  UK:  EuroPride 2006 - London.  Five pages of photographs