Up to date on Thursday 16th May 2013

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The organizers of Moscow’s gay pride have appealed to court over Moscow City Hall’s refusal to authorize their event, activists said today. They have asked the Tverskoi District Court to consider their complaint before the events are due to be held, and are seeking for city officials to be ordered to authorize the parades and rallies.

The gay pride parade organizers plan to file additional complaints with Moscow’s Tagansky District Court against a ban on holding gay pride pickets on May 25 and 26, and with the Khimki City Court against a ban on holding a rally and gay pride march on May 25. The campaigners referred to the European Court of Human Rights’ 2010 ruling that found the ban of similar public events in Moscow in 2006, 2007 and 2008 to be illegal.

Moscow City Hall: Andrei Stenin, RAI Novosti

Shepton town councillor Simon Davies has spoken out after being targeted in a “politically-motivated” slur. He feels that certain individuals have been trying to “rubbish his name” by using the fact that he is gay as a way to discredit him. They have been insistent that Mr Davies has yet another Criminal Records Bureau check as he is the council representative on the skate park committee.

Mr Davies, who does not have any dealings directly with children, said: “I would not have minded in itself, I don’t think it’s unfair but it has all started from my views on gay marriage. Every single aspect of council life involves working with vulnerable people, so on that basis every one of us should be CRB checked. People have their views and that’s fine, people with anti-gay views are never going to change, but as long as this CRB check is done fairly and not for the simple fact I’m gay. I worry that this kind of thing happens to someone more sensitive than I am. It’s really bad, and the council has to respect the public and what they may think of this behaviour. I’m a human being, I’m not paid to be a town councillor, and I shouldn’t have to be treated in this way.”

Simon Davies is the former Mayor of Wells and owns a Coffee House in Shepton Mallet.

Simon Davies in his coffee house: Shepton Mallet People

Europe’s oldest matchmaking event, the traditional Lisdoonvarna Matchmaking Festival in Ireland, is having a new gay and lesbian weekend at the start of the festival. “The Outing” is the brainchild of local hotelier Marcus White, who has enlisted Dublin Pride Festival organiser Eddie McGuinness to manage the event. They hope the Outing will become the world’s largest gay and lesbian singles event.

“At the end of the day it’s about love – that’s what the matchmaking festival has always been about. Ireland is leading the world on a lot of gay issues and hopefully we will have gay marriage soon, so the time is right for something like this to take place,” said Mr McGuinness.

The Broadsheet

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Up to date on Monday 8 April 2013

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Manchester’s Gay Village must be made safer to stop it being closed down, say Manchester Police. Though crime across Manchester City Centre has fallen, binge-drinking, drunken disorder and violence have persisted in the Gay Village. The problems have got steadily worse for the last five years, made worse by congestion from taxis, bars and clubs opening late and increasing numbers of takeaways.

Mancunian Matters

Tshepo Cameron Modisane and Thoba Calvin Sithole, both 27, have married in a wedding ceremony uniting Zulu and Tswana traditions, which they hope will send a message to others that “Being gay is as African as being black.” After three years as boyfriends Mr Modisane proposed in June 2012.

Sebaspace

Baroness Thatcher, the former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died of a stroke this morning. Although she supported the legalisation of homosexuality in the 1960s and afterwards, Peter Tatchell reminds us: “In 1988, the Thatcher government legislated Britain’s first new anti-gay law in 100 years: Section 28. At the 1987 Conservative party conference she mocked people who defended the right to be gay, insinuating that there was no such right. During her rule, arrests and convictions for consenting same-sex behaviour rocketed, as did queer bashing violence and murder. Gay men were widely demonised and scapegoated for the AIDS pandemic and Thatcher did nothing to challenge this vilification.”

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Up to date on Wednesday 3 April 2013

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A pair of gay restaurateurs is closing up shop in Morris, Manitoba, Canada saying they are sick of being the target of anti-gay slurs. Pots N Hands, which advertises “home cooked meals,” opened in the community of 1,700 70 kilometres south of Winnipeg just four months ago. Ever since, alleges owner Dave Claringbould, pictured, he and his partner have been assailed by homophobic slurs, such as a customer asking if his plate of food was diseased.

Trevor Hagan / The Canadian Press

Men having sex with men (MSM) are at risk of infection from human papillomavirus (HPV) and should have regular anal pap smears, a medical expert advised on Wednesday. A study by the Thai Red Cross Aids Research Centre shows that, among men, anal HPV infection which can lead to anal cancer is a high risk, compared with men having sex with women, reports the Bangkok Post.

Tanakorn Sittiamthong, right, and Nonthawat Charoengaysornsin kiss during a contest to break the Guinness World Record for longest continuous kiss as part of Valentine’s Day celebrations at Pattaya last year. Photo: EPA

The Triangle Project of South Africa says it hopes its school campaign will educate teachers and principals of the emotional needs of gay pupils. Many learners were victimised by class mates, teachers and principals. “In light of all of this, we are going to be rolling out a booklet targeted at teachers around the problem of bullying.”

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