OCTOBER 2011

October 21: Spain:
Benidorm's Inaugural Gay Pride In Pictures.   26 photographs, on three pages, of the first-ever Gay Pride in Benidorm staged this evening.

October 21: Russia:
Russian Gay Activist Confirms His Resignation.   Nikolai Alekseev, the LGBT activist who has the highest profile in Russia, has stepped down from his activities at GayRussia Website and as chief organiser of Moscow Pride.   He is one of the best-known LGBT activists in the world.

October 19: Belarus:
Gay Activist in Belarus Claims He Was Sacked by British Multi-National Company for Being Gay.   Gay activist Alexander Poluyan has been effectively fired by the Belarusian subsidiary of British American Tobacco because he is gay, the Website Gayby.net reported yesterday.

October 19: Cyprus:
MEPs Demand the Immediate Release of Three Men Arrested in Cyprus on ‘Gay’ Charges.   Members of the European Parliament have today called for the immediate release of three men arrested last week at a private home in the Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus.

October 16: Belarus/UK:
Gay Rights in Belarus Could Dramatically Improve Within Four Years, Belarusian Activist Predicts.   A gay activist from Belarus said yesterday that he personally felt that Gay Pride would be permitted by the authorities in “three or four years”.  Sergey Yenin, who is currently studying at a university in Warsaw, was speaking the UK Premier screening of Logan Mucha’s feature documentary about the lack of LGBT rights in Eastern Europe, East Block Love.

October 9: UK (Scotland):
Senior Cleric “Embarrassed” by Scottish Roman Catholic Bishops Over ‘Gay Marriage’.   The Provost of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Glasgow said today that he is “embarrassed” by the Scottish Bishops of the Roman Catholic Church concerning the manner of their opposition to the current Scottish government consultation on same-sex marriage.

October 8: Australia:
Aussie Rugby Star: “Emma and I Decided Not To Get Legally Married Until Our Gay Friends Can Do the Same”.   A leading Australian rugby player and committed Christian, David Pocock, took time out from preparations for Sunday’s World Cup quarter final clash with South Africa, to ‘come out’ in support of marriage equality.  He said that he and his female partner will not marry until their gay friends can.

October 5: UK:
Exiled Belarusian Gay Activist Set to Visit UK to Attend UK Premier of Documentary Film East Bloc Love.   Sergey Yenin, one of the featured gay activists from eastern Europe featured in the documentary East Bloc Love, will be attending the UK premier of the film at the sixth Shropshire Rainbow Film Festival next week.

October 2: Europe:
Gay, Lesbian Rights, Belgrade Pride – Michael Cashman Speaks Out | Audio interview.   It was quite a week for UK MEP Michael Cashman.  A major speech on Tuesday in the European Parliament backing the United Nations Human Rights Council's resolution on world-wide LGBT human rights.  Then the next day the vote (passed overwhelmingly) – followed by a dash back to the UK and the Labour Party conference in Liverpool.