NOVEMBER 2010

Nov 30:  European Union:  Proposal for More Protection of Lesbian, Gay, Transgender Persons Stalled in Council of Ministers.   A legal proposal that would upgrade protection for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons from discrimination outside of employment in as much as 17 European Union countries has been with the Council of Ministers for more than two years.  This is one of the findings by the European Union’s Fundamental Rights Agency which released today an updated EU-wide legal analysis: Homophobia, Transphobia and Discrimination on Grounds of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity.

Nov 26:  UK:  Cameron’s “Take Responsibility” Words Must Be Matched by Action – Gay Labour Group.  LGBT Labour responded today to Prime Minister David Cameron’s article in a London gay ‘pop’ weekly magazine telling gay men to ‘take responsibility’ and get HIV tests.

Nov 26:  UK:  New HIV Infections Among Gay Men Remain High in the UK: More than a Quarter of All People with HIV in the UK Are ‘Undiagnosed’ – Health Protection Agency.   The number of people living with HIV in the UK reached an estimated 86,500 in 2009, but more than a quarter – almost 22,500 – were unaware of their infection, according to figures released by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) at midnight.  And Terrence Higgins Trust, the London-based charity and the UK’s largest HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales, says that increased opportunities for testing is vital.

Nov 24:  UK:  Musician Darren Hayes Tells Humanists of the Struggles Growing Up Gay. Australian-born singer and musician Darren Hayes has told Humanists of his struggles growing up gay – and his passion for civil rights.

Nov 23:  European Union:  EU-Wide Recognition of Member States’ Gay Marriage, Civil Partnership a Step Closer.  Gay couples with civil marriages or civil partnerships must retain their rights in all European Union countries, the European Parliament reaffirmed this morning.  Currently, same-sex couples are not guaranteed to retain the rights given by their existing marriage or civil partnership when travelling in the European Union.

Nov 22:  Lithuania:  Activists Appeal to President and Others Over Proposed Anti-Gay Measure Now With Seimas.  Lithuanian human rights activists have today written to President Dalia Grybauskaite asking that she publicly expresses an opinion on the proposed amendments to the Administrative Code which seeks to restrict human rights and foster discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Nov 20:  USA:  Travel: Key West Climate and Celebrations Mean Year-Round Appeal for the Gay Tourist.  Unlike other premier gay resort destinations, Key West is a place where the good times know no season and the year-round climate is as warm as the community’s welcome.  Located 159 miles southwest of Miami, at the very tip of the Florida Keys, Key West is the only frost-free city in the continental United States — featuring an average annual temperature of 77.7 degrees and sunshine nearly 365 days a year.

Nov 18:  Lithuania:  Brussels Moves on Latest Lithuanian Threat to Gay Rights.  The European Commission is closely watching the proposal now before the Lithuanian Seimas (Parliament) for introducing fines for the “public promotion of homosexual relations”, the European Parliament’s ALDE group of Liberals and Democrats said this morning.

Nov 15:  Lithuania:  MEP Hits Out at Proposed Anti-Gay Legislation in Lithuania.  Lithuania is effectively making homosexuality illegal, an MEP said this morning.

Nov 15:  Lithuania:  Gay Youth Group Slams Lithuanian Parliamentarians Over Proposed Legislation.  Lithuanian parliamentarians have a complete disregard for human rights and democracy, the Tolerant Youth Association (TJA) have charged in the wake of Friday’s 31-7 vote in the Seimas (Parliament) in favour of a Bill to make “the promotion of homosexuality” an  offence punishable by fine of 2,000 to 10,000 litas (£500 to £2,500).

Nov 14:  Poland:  Polish Gay Activist: I Was Brutally Beaten by Police.  A member of the board of the Polish gay rights group Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) was arrested and beaten by police officers in Warsaw on Thursday afternoon, the group revealed today.

Nov 13:  UK:  Writing and Rewriting History: Major New Study of Gay History 1967 to Present.  The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) has commissioned a new history of the organisation – and the individuals who made it.  Peter Scott-Presland, the gay playwright and journalist, will write it.  CHE at its peak in the 1970s and 80s boasted over 100 local branches and 5,000 members.   The counselling organisation Friend and the International Lesbian and Gay Association both came directly from it.

Nov 2:  UK:  Gay Marriage Bid Rejected.  An application by a lesbian couple for a civil marriage licence was today refused by Greenwich register office.  Rev Sharon Ferguson and her partner Franka Strietzel were turned away on the grounds that UK law stipulates that marriage partners have to be male and female.  The couple now plan to challenge this restriction in the courts, arguing that the ban on same-sex marriage violates the Human Rights Act.

Nov 1:  UK:  Gay Marriage Bid Tomorrow by Lesbian Couple.   A lesbian couple are due to apply tomorrow morning for a civil marriage at the Greenwich Register Office in Woolwich, London as the ‘Equal Love’ campaign gets underway.  The campaign is coordinated by LGBT rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and sponsored by the Outrage! organisation.  The couple are Rev. Sharon Ferguson and her partner Franka Strietzel.  They will apply for a civil marriage licence, in a direct challenge to the UK’s legal ban on same-sex marriage.