February 2011
Thousands rally for Transgender Week
INDIA – Thousands of trans-gender community members rallied to mark the annual Transgender Community Cele-brations Week 2011. Members of the community participated in the rally dressed up in fancy attires of Hindu deities and other traditional wear. The rally was organized by Tamil Nadu Aids Initiative (TAI) and Voluntary Health Services (VHS). Dr. R. Lakshmi…
University offers first gay studies class
ITALY – University of Milan is offering its first gay studies course, a revolutionary feat in the predominantly Roman Catholic Italy. Nearly 200 students showed up for the first day and 120 enrolled for credit. “We are very satisfied,” Fabio Galantucci told The Washington Post. Galantucci is one of the students who helped design the…
Controversy continues following Dire Straits’ ‘faggot’ ban ruling
CANADA – The federal broadcasting regulator of Canada, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecom-muni-ca–tions Com-mission (CRTC), has be-come involved in the controversy surrounding the banning of the Classic Dire Straits track “Money for Nothing,” which was released 25 years ago. The global hit single came out on the band’s iconic fifth album, “Brothers in Arms,” in…
Amsterdam’s HIV trend changes course
NETHERLANDS – For the first time in almost 15 years, the HIV rate is on the rise among gay and bisexual men in Amsterdam. The latest findings, reported in the journal AIDS, included 1,642 gay and bisexual men in Amsterdam who were followed for up to 25 years. At the start of the study, the…
Community supports lesbian couple
NEW ZEALAND – A Northland lesbian couple has been overwhelmed with support and sympathy after their flower business in Mangawhai Heads was set ablaze in an alleged anti- gay attack. Owners Juliet Leigh and Lindsay Curnow operated Blooming Bulbs from a small packing shed next to their home, located just north of Auckland. Their business…
WorldPride plans on course for 2012
UNITED KINGDOM – Pride London organizers say plans are on course to host WorldPride in 2012 and the event will not be affected by the 2012 Olympics. World-Pride will be in early July and the Olympics will not start until the end of that month. Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis announced last year that the festival…
Native LGBT communities meet in Oklahoma April 2011
OKLAHOMA – The 2011 Tulsa Two Spirits Gathering is scheduled to take place Apr. 15-18 at the Osage Hills State Park, in Oklahoma. According to Native Out, this is a yearly event hosted and funded by the Tulsa Two Spirits Society, Two Spirit Society of Denver, and the Two-Spirit Council of Wichita. The gathering’s program…
Maryland legislature urged to pass Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act
MARYLAND – With the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act now introduced in the Maryland State Legislature, Freedom to Marry, the campaign to win marriage nationwide, has called for its swift approval. “Loving and committed gay and lesbian couples throughout Maryland are taking care of one another, raising families, contributing to their communities, and…
Choi refuses to repay ‘unearned’ enlistment bonus
CALIFORNIA – After being discharged by the U.S. Army under the now-repealed Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy in July, Dan Choi has now been asked by the Department of Defense to pay up for “the unearned portion” of his enlistment bonus. According to an account statement posted on Twitter, Choi had until Jan. 20 to…