MAY 2008

May 31: Russia:  From Russia with Gay Love — Blogging from Moscow Pride.  UK Gay News is trying to repeat the “blogging” at Moscow Gay Pride that was so popular last year.  But there are problems this year as LGBT activists are determined to stage an “unauthorised demonstration” outside Mayor Yuri Luzhkov’s City Hall in downtown Moscow.  And no one really knows what will happen …
May 31: Latvia:  Latvian President Call for Tolerance Understanding on Gay Issues.  As gay men and women were preparing for this morning’s March for Equality, the Latvian President for more tolerance, understanding, comprehension and freedom — a welcome move that was cheered by march participants when the statement was read out.
May 31: Latvia:  Riga Gay Pride - four pages of  photo of today's Pride March for Equality start HERE
May 31: Russia:  Moscow Gay Pride on the Eve of Its Third Ban.  By Nikolai Alexeyev.  Moscow Pride tomorrow, June 1, will take the form of a picket in front of the City Hall on the main street.  This year, activists, journalists and protesters will meet at 1pm.
May 30: Latvia:  Amnesty and Mozaika for Strategic Partnership to Address Gay Issues.  Amnesty International and Mozaika, the Latvian LGBT group, have formed a strategic partnership, it was revealed this afternoon.
May 30: Russia:  Third Moscow Gay Pride Set for Sunday.  A ‘public event’ at Moscow Gay Pride will go ahead on Sunday (June 1), organisers announced last night.  The event is scheduled to take place in front of Moscow City Hall in Tverskaya Street where, last year, participants tried to deliver a letter to Mayor Yuri Luzhkov, but were met by anti-gay protestors.
May 29: Latvia:  Harsh Protests Promised for Riga Gay Pride by Latvian Nationalists.  Latvian ‘nationalist’ organisations warned today that the Gay Pride event along the 11th November Shoreline in Riga on Saturday will result in probable counter action.  And the country’s gay and lesbian NGO, Mozaika, was proudly flying the Rainbow Flag from its office building downtown.
May 29: Latvia:  Politician Denounces Cardinal and Clergy Over “Gay” Attack. The open letter, condemning Riga Gay Pride, to the Latvian government from Cardinal Jānis Pujāts and other Roman Catholic priests shows “a blatant disregard for human rights”, an all-party group at the European Parliament said yesterday.
May 27: Germany:  Don’t Stay Silent, Says ILGA-Europe Official at Opening of Berlin’s Memorial to Gays.  A memorial commemorating the tens of thousands of homosexual people persecuted during the Nazi regime was opened today in Berlin.
May 27: Latvia:  Cardinal: Gay Pride Marches in Latvia Should be Declared Unlawful.  Gay Prides in Latvia should be seen as unlawful and impermissible, Roman Catholic Cardinal Jānis Pujāts has said in an open letter to the government.
May 27: Gibraltar:  Alvarez Named European Coordinator by International Human Rights Foundation.  Equality rights group GGR has today confirmed that Felix Alvarez, the group’s chairman, has been appointed European coordinator for an internationally based human rights organisation.
May 25: Europe:  Is a City That Bans Its Gay Pride Fit to Host Eurovision?  Commentary.  So Russia has won the Eurovision song (read geo-political beauty) contest with “Believe” sung by Dima Bilan.  This means that Russia will host next year’s bash.  And in turn, that probably means Moscow.
May 25: UK:  Obituary: Paul Patrick.  Paul Patrick, co-chair of Schools Out and LGBT History Month died early on Thursday May 22 in hospital, after a battle against a chronic lung condition, at the age of 58.
May 23: Russia:  Gay Iranian Refugee Thanks His Supporters Across the World.  Mehdi, the 20-year-old gay Iranian who was finally granted “leave to stay” in the United Kingdom last Monday, has written an “open letter” to all his supporters, known and unknown.  There have been no editing – it is as he wrote it.
May 23: Russia:   Russian Health Ministry Ends Ban on Blood Donations by Gays.  The Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development has repealed the ban on blood donations by homosexual people, it emerged last night.
May 23: Gambia:  Tatchell Reacts to Threat of Killing Gays in Gambia.  The threats to kill gays, made this week by Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, comes as no surprise, human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of the gay rights group Outrage!, said last night.
May 22: Australia:  Former Senior Judge Calls on Rudd Government to Broaden Gay Reform Proposal.  One of Australia’s most senior former judges has written to the Federal Government urging it to allow same-sex couples access to the federal Family Court, and to recognise state civil union registries in federal law.
May 22: UK:  Police Campaign at Birmingham Gay Pride Includes Condom Giveaways.  West Midlands Police will be distributing free condoms at Birmingham Gay Pride this weekend to spread the message that ‘drinking too much can seriously ruin a good night out’.
May 22: Turkey:  First Ever Gay March Held in Ankara.  A little bit of gay history was made in the Turkish capital on Saturday afternoon.
May 21: Moldova:  MEPs Continue Pressure on Moldova After Problems at Gay Pride.  A United Kingdom Member of the European Parliament is pressing British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to make representations to the Moldovan government over the troubles experienced at the recent Chisinau Gay Pride.
May 21: UK:  Simon Hughes ‘Delighted’ that Mehdi, the Gay Iranian, Can Stay in UK.  Simon Hughes, the Liberal Democrat MP, said last night that he was “delighted” by the decision of the Home Office that Mehdi Kazemi, the 20-year-old gay Iranian could stay in the United Kingdom.
May 20: UK:  ‘Bleak Future’ if Public Confidence Is Not Restored, Says Independent Asylum Commission.  Unless action is taken to restore public support and confidence, the outlook for the UK’s tradition of providing sanctuary to those fleeing persecution is bleak, Sir John Waite, co-chair of the Independent Asylum Commission and a former Judge of the High Court, has warned.
May 20: UK:  Gay Iranian Is Granted Asylum in UK.  Mehdi Kazemi, the 20-year-old gay Iranian, who has been trying to get asylum in the UK for two years, has been granted permission to stay in the United Kingdom.
May 20: European Union:  MEPs Urge European Commission to Honour Original Plans for New Anti-Discrimination Directive.  The European Parliament has today adopted a report by Liberal Democrat MEP Liz Lynne which calls on the European Commission to honour its commitment to bring forward a comprehensive directive to outlaw discrimination in access to goods and services covering all areas presently excluded, including disability, age, religion or belief and sexual orientation.
May 20: Russia:   GayRussia.ru Celebrates Its Third Year with IDAHO.  Over the last 3 years, the activists of GayRussia.Ru not only spoke against homophobia of Russian politicians, public and religious figures.  They also conducted several campaigns against official and religious leaders – the Mayor of Moscow, Mufti Talgat Tadjuddin, are among the figures that were sued.
May 19: UK:  Green MEP Demands Better Treatment for Gay Men and Women Seeking Asylum.  Gay men an women seeking asylum in the United Kingdom face detention and having to deal with homophobia not only from other inmates, but even from those who are paid to detain them, a Member of the European Parliament said on Saturday.
May 19: Iran/Turkey:  Gay Rally in Turkey Against Homophobia Reported in Iranian Media.  Staff at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission were taken aback today when the March Against Homophobia staged in Ankara on Saturday was reported in the Iranian media.
May 19: European Union:  Will Gay, Lesbian Discrimination Be Put Back into Euro Directive?   Tomorrow, members of the European Parliament will debate and vote on a resolution “Progress made in equal opportunities and non-discrimination in the EU”.
May 19: UK:  Gays Campaign for IDAHO Across the UK.  Many events, large and small, were held across the United Kingdom on Saturday to mark International Day Against Homophobia.
May 19: UK:  Gay Activist: Reform the Homophobic Asylum System.  Gay human rights activist Peter Tatchell called for an agenda to ensure fairness and justice of LGBT asylum seekers at an IDAHO event organised hosted by Amnesty International and the Gay & Lesbian Humanist Association.
May 19: Gibraltar:   Gibraltar Gay Group Welcomes Court Action and Council of Europe Decision.  Equality Rights Group GGR has welcomed the start of a hearing in the local courts today of a complaint by a lesbian couple against the Gibraltar Housing Department
May 19: Russia:   Two Russian Gays: “Our Little IDAHO in Moscow”.  Nikolai Baev and Anna Komarova celebrated their own “IDAHO day” last Saturday in Moscow with little rainbow flags in solidarity with the 4th International Day Against Homophobia.
May 18: Russia:   Solitary Gay Pickets General Prosecution Headquarters in Russia’s Capital Following Ban.  Legal difficulties prevented more than one person picketing the office of the General Prosecutor in Moscow yesterday, International Day Against Homophobia.
May 18: Brazil:   World’s Biggest Gay Pride, São Paulo, Twins With Moscow.  The world’s largest Gay Pride – São Paulo – is to “twin” with Moscow Pride, it was announced yesterday.  And Moscow Pride organiser, Nikolai Alekseev will be flying in from Russia this week to take part, and to receive the Brazillian Pride’s “Citizen Award for Respecting Diversity” in a ceremony on Thursday afternoon.
May 17: France:   Activists’ Two Hours in Jail Leads to French Government Push on Gay Rights at UN.  Louis-Georges Tin was celebrating this evening...
May 17: UK:   Foreign Office Rebuffs Gay, Lesbian Rights Campaigners.  The UK coordinator of International Day against Homophobia has attacked the government – and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in particular – for its lack of interest of the IDAHO campaign which highlights homophobia worldwide.
May 17: France:   IDAHO Founder Arrested at French Demonstration and ‘Die In’.  The founder of International Day Against Homophobia was arrested yesterday outside the Presidential Palace along with a small group of supporters as they demonstrated and staged a ‘die in’ in support of persecuted gay and lesbians worldwide.
May 17: UK: Unions Mark International Day Against Homophobia in Birmingham.  The Midlands TUC will mark International Day Against Homophobia today in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham, to commemorate the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people who have been killed by regimes throughout the world.
May 16: World:  UK Home Office Makes the Human Rights Watch Gay, Lesbian ‘Hall of Shame’.  The UK Home Office, together with the presidents of Poland and Uganda, are making prejudicial policies and public statements that deny people’s dignity and endanger their lives, Human Rights Watch said in New York today in its annual “Hall of Shame” to mark the International Day Against Homophobia.
May 16: World:  Solidarity With Gays, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender People All Over the World.  Open letter from Michael Cashman, MEP.  May 17 is important.  On this day in 1990 the World Health Organization dropped homosexuality from its list of diseases.  To mark this, International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) is celebrated all over the World.
May 16: Europe:  Lesbians and Gay Men March With Pride to End Prejudice.  On the eve of the International Day Against Homophobia (tomorrow), Amnesty International calls on governments in Europe to secure the right of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people to celebrate their identity at a series of pride marches and other public events that take place each year between April and November.
May 16: UK:  Rugby Star Ben Cohen Ousts Football’s David Beckham in ‘Gay Times’ Sports Personality of Year.  England Rugby star Ben Cohen has trounced David Beckham by winning the gold medal in GT’s Readers’ Award for ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ – silver for ‘Sexiest Man of the Year’.
May 15: UK: Young Activists Unite to Campaign for Gay Human Rights Worldwide.  Seventy young human rights campaigners from across Scotland are expected to come together at an event in Edinburgh on Saturday to mark the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).
May 15: UK:  Hijacking of UN Human Rights Body by Islamic Bloc Threatens International Gay Rights, Say Humanists.  The human rights and safety of gay people around the world are being compromised and endangered by the United Nations Human Rights body that is supposed to protect them, the Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) said this morning.
May 15: Russia:  Moscow Authorities Ban Gay Picket In Support of Criminal Prosecution of Moscow Mayor.  The Prefecture of the Central Administrative Area of Moscow has refused permission to stage a small demonstration by gay men and women in front of the General Prosecution office in downtown Moscow on Saturday May 17 to coincide with the fourth International Day Against Homophobia.
May 15: Latvia:  Gay Prides in Riga and London Compared as ‘Semi-Minister’ Kastēns Is Again Pilloried.  By Kārlis Streips.  One of the most interesting films at the recently ended Gay and Lesbian Film Festival was called “Marching Season”.  In it, a BBC journalist compared pride events in 2007 in Rīga and in London. We all know what happened in Rīga.  Mozaika and its supporters were in the Vermandarzs Park, which was surrounded by the police and a big bunch of apparently very poorly raised morons who knew nothing more than to scream, show their uplifted middle finger, and otherwise demonstrate their stupidity.
May 14: UK and Turkey:  Gays in UK – and Turkey – Plan Anti-Homophobia Day With Style.  On Saturday morning (May 17) campaigners in Plymouth will be assembling their floats which celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Rainbow Flag, elderly LGBT people in Belfast will be preparing to launch their new social/campaigning group, a lesbian in Leicester will begin the task of judging the winner of an IDAHO cake competition, and Trade Unionists in London will be laying wreaths for those who have been judicially slaughtered in Iran as a consequence of their sexuality.
May 14: Worldwide:  Time to Recognise that Human Rights Principles Apply Also to Gays, Lesbians and Gender Identity.  By Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe.  A number of people around the world – including in Europe – continue to be stigmatised because of their actual or perceived sexual orientation and gender identity. In some cases these individuals are still being denied their right to education, health care, housing and work.
May 14: Moldova:  EU Should Reconsider Relations with Moldova after Gay Pride Violence – Raul Romeva MEP.  The European Union should reconsider it relations with Moldova following the attack on the Gay Pride in Chisinau at the weekend, MEP Raul Romeva said this morning.
May 14: USA:  Massachusetts Democrats Elect Gay and Lesbian Delegates to Convention Delegation.  The Massachusetts Democratic Party has met its own target for LGBT representation on its delegation to the Democratic Nation Convention in Denver later this year.
May 14: Latvia:  Venue for Gay Pride March Confirmed by Riga City Council.  An agreement has been struck between the Riga City Council and organisers of this month’s Gay Pride for the location of the march, the Latvian press reported yesterday.
May 13: UK:  Postal Workers to Join TUC Outside Iranian Embassy in Protest Over Gay Executions.  Postal workers in the Communication Workers Union (CWU) are arranging a ‘special delivery’ to the Iranian Embassy in London on Saturday (May 17), International Day Against Homophobia.
May 13: UK:  Opinions of Gays, Lesbians Do Matter, Say Police as Survey is Launched.  Opinions really do matter.  That is the message from West Midlands Police as they launch their annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) perception survey ahead of Birmingham Pride at the end of the month.
May 13: Moldova:  ILGA-Europe Condemns Moldova Over Gay Pride Fiasco at Weekend.  The lack of any action by Moldovan police to protect participants in last weekend’s Gay Pride in the country’s capital Chisinau – and the illegal banning of the parade by the mayor – was condemned today by the International Lesbian and Gay Association Europe.
May 12: UK:  Call to Defend Gay Asylum Seekers Whose Lives Are at Risk.  The desperate plight of LGBT asylum seekers will be explored in a panel discussion organised by The Gay and Lesbian Humanist Association (GALHA) on Friday.
May 12: UK:  Police Chief Inaugurates Help Point in Birmingham’s Gay Village.  “Let’s see if it works,” the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police said once the pink ribon had been cut to inaugurate an emergency ‘help point’ in Birmingham’s Gay Village.
May 11: Moldova:  Moldovan Police Stand Accused of Letting Protestors Highjack Bus Carrying Gay Pride Participants.  A ruling of the Moldovan Supreme Court and the provisions of the European Human Rights Convention, which Moldova signed, were set aside by Chisinau police who stood to one side and let extremist religious groups, members of the neo-fascist movement, “New Right”, and legionnaires prevent today’s “Gay Pride” from going ahead.
May 9: Moldova:  Chisinau Mayor Bans Gay Pride on Eve of Parade.  Mayor Dorin Chirtoaca has banned the Gay Pride parade in the Moldovan capital.  The parade, part of “Rainbow over the Dniester” is scheduled to take place on Sunday (May 11).
May 9: Latvia:  Riga Council Can’t Switch Us Off, Say Latvian Gays.  By Kristine Garina.  Talking about illusions… We have gay-themed TV series like Will & Grace on TV.  We even have Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and it’s widely popular and everyone watches it.  But it’s just something out there, not here.
May 8: UK:  We Want Donation Not Gay Discrimination, Northern Ireland Students Tell National Blood Service.  Students from campuses throughout Northern Ireland are campaigning today for the National Union of Students – Union of Students in Ireland Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (NUS-USI LGBT) day of action over the ‘gay blood donation ban’.
May 6: UK:  How Much It Really Costs to Stage the UK’s Capital Gay Pride.  Pride London, the UK’s largest LGBT Pride, revealed today how much it costs to keep the event free-to-attend.
May 6: Moldova:  Chisinau Authorities OK Gay Pride Parade for First Time.  Organisers of the Gay Pride in Moldova – “Rainbow over the Dniester” – are hopeful of being able to stage a parade this year in the country’s capital, Chisinau.
May 6: Russia:  Russian Gays Mark ‘Day of Silence’ With Individual Action in St. Petersburg.  With their mouths taped, 25 participants in Russia’s first ‘Day of Silence’ on Saturday, took turns to hold a banner that said: “I am silent to be heard”.
May 1: Russia:  St. Petersburg City Authorities Do U-Turn on Gay ‘Day of Silence’.  The authorities in St. Petersburg have unexpectedly changed their decision and will not approve the mass rally dedicated to the International Day of Silence – the first in Russia, it emerged this afternoon.
May 1: UK:  Bournemouth’s Gay Pride to Support UK’s Services.  Following months of anticipation, the theme for this years Bourne Free Pride Festival parade has now been revealed.
May 1: UK:  THT Direct Launches London Gay Men’s Sexual Health Helpline and Face to Face Service.   The Terrence Higgins Trust helpline, THT Direct, is launching two new services today.
May 1: Latvia:  Gay Latvian Media Commentator on ‘Semi-Minister’ Kastens’ Outburst.  Following the outbursts of Latvian Integration Minister Oskars Kastēns last week on Riga Gay Pride parade, the openly gay new commentator Kārlis Streips “let rip” in two  blog commentaries on the Latvian daily Diena website  The English translation is by the author.