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Politics
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Friday, 03 October 2008 |
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 Equal rights for gay couples, a divisive issue in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, produced a rare moment of agreement in Thursday's vice presidential debate between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Sarah Palin.
In an otherwise contentious debate, both Biden and Palin said they did not support civil marriages for same-sex couples, but both backed a range of other legal protections.
"No one would ever propose, not in a McCain-Palin administration, to do anything to prohibit, say, visitations in a hospital or contracts being signed," said Palin, referring to John McCain, her running mate in the November 4 election.
Such rights already exist in Alaska, where Palin serves as governor.
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Politics
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Thursday, 02 October 2008 |
 Prospective parliamentary candidate Margot James believes the Conservative Party really has changed its attitude to homosexuality - not just in the Cameroonian salons of fashionable Notting Hill but in the rural heartlands as well.
An "astonishing" number of target seats have picked gay candidates, she told a Stonewall fringe meeting at the party conference in Birmingham.
"I have yet to meet another (gay) woman I regret to say - but we do have a marvellous number of gay men.
"It is astonishing to me that some of these Conservative branches in very rural communities or suburban, Midlands constituencies are selecting gay people to stand as candidates because I don't believe they would have done so five years ago.
"There has been a huge change - not just among some of the MPs - also in the country in our associations, among the 60 to 70-year-old average members of our associations."
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Your News
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Thursday, 02 October 2008 |
 Shine Holidays are the first company to offer exclusively gay and exclusively lesbian gulet cruises in Turkey. Traditional gulet holidays provide the perfect getaway for relaxing sun filled days, evenings of good food, wine and conversation set against a back drop of the Aegean coasts most stunning sunsets. Each boat has 6 to 8 cabins, so whether you are single, with a partner or just a group of friends, everyone is welcome. The Turkish climate in June and September is ideal for both the exclusively gay and exclusively lesbian sailing weeks. Tailor made private bookings are also available for parties of 8 to 16 people who can take over a whole boat. Visit www.shineholidays.co.uk for further info.
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Health
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Tuesday, 30 September 2008 |
 A UK study of HIV patients at four clinics in London and one in Brighton has found that 31% reported having had suicidal thoughts over the previous week.
The study, published in the journal AIDS , found that heterosexual men, people of black ethnicity and people who had not disclosed their status to anyone were about twice as likely to have suicidal thoughts as other groups.
Other strong predictors of suicidal ideation were being unemployed, being single, and having stopped HIV treatment, though these factors lost significance in multivariate analysis.
Suicidal thoughts were also associated with poor treatment adherence and with having poorer physical and/or mental health, but were not associated with age, being on treatment, time on treatment, type of treatment or viral load.
Since 1990, the authors note, 271 or nearly 2% of the approximately 14,000 HIV positive people who have died in the UK have taken their own lives, and the proportion of deaths due to suicide has increased in the period since effective HIV treatment became available. However, there have not been many studies of suicidality since the advent of combination HIV treatment, and studies have also left it unclear as to whether HIV infection was independently associated with suicidal thoughts or whether they were simply more common in the kinds of people more vulnerable to HIV.
The UK study, led by Professor Lorraine Sherr of Royal Free and University College Medical School, asked all 903 eligible patients attending the five clinics in a three-month period in 2005 and 2006 to fill in a confidential questionnaire asking then whether they had experienced suicidal thoughts over the previous week, and if so how frequently.
It also established demographic information and asked about sexual behaviour and relationship status, treatment optimism and whether patients had disclosed their HIV status to anyone, treatment status and adherence to treatment, symptoms of physical and mental ill-health, and general quality of life. There was a high response rate, with 86% of eligible patients filling in the questionnaire.
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Civil Partnerships
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Monday, 29 September 2008 |
 1. Sir Elton John and David Furnish
December 21 2005
Civil partnership ceremony at the Guildhall, Windsor, with only a small number of guests in attendance, although Arthur, the couple's dog, was present. Followed by a £1 million party at the couple's Berkshire mansion, which caused a traffic jam of celebrities queueing to get into the grounds. Among the guests were Victoria Beckham, Donatella Versace, Claudia Schiffer, Ringo Starr, Liz Hurley, Lulu and Cilla Black.
2. Matt Lucas, Little Britain comedian, and Kevin McGee, television producer
December 17 2006
The couple wore suits for the ceremony, but fancy dress for the reception at Banqueting House in Whitehall, London. Lucas arrived as Aladdin and McGee as Prince Charming. Sir Elton John dressed as Captain Hook.
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Politics
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Thursday, 25 September 2008 |
 Bosnia's first gay festival will close early after hooded men, some shouting Islamic slogans, attacked visitors on its opening night, injuring eight people, organizers said on Thursday.
About 70 men, some shouting "God is greatest" in Arabic, dragged festival-goers from their cars and beat others in the streets of the Bosnian capital on Wednesday.
Sarajevo, known for centuries for the peaceful coexistence of its Muslims, Christians and Jews, became a majority Muslim city after the 1992-95 war.
"We cannot guarantee the safety of visitors," said organizer Svetlana Djurkovic. "The festival is closing down."
Djurkovic heads a group that promotes the rights of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transsexual groups.
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Civil Partnerships
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Tuesday, 23 September 2008 |
 Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, are the latest celebrity donors to the fight against California's November ballot initiative that would overturn the state Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage.Spielberg and Capshaw have donated $100,000 to fight Proposition 8, they announced in a statement Monday. "By writing discrimination into our state constitution, Proposition 8 seeks to eliminate the right of each and every citizen in our state to marry regardless of sexual orientation," the statement said. "Such discrimination has NO place in California's constitution, or any other."
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Civil Partnerships
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Sunday, 21 September 2008 |
 Former Blue Peter presenter Mark Curry has married his long-term partner in a gay civil ceremony.
His fellow groom’s ex-wife and daughter were among 50 guests who saw the men take their vows wearing matching yellow roses in their lapels.
Mark and chartered surveyor Jeremy Sandle have been together for ten years and share a house.
But the star, who was not openly gay during his time in children’s TV for fear it would ruin his career, called the ceremony his ‘coming out’ party.
Kathryn Apanowicz, partner of the late Countdown host Richard Whiteley, read a poem during the service this month at Marble Hill mansion in Twickenham, South-West London.
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Shaven-headed and tattooed all over with skinhead emblems and the symbols of Ulster loyalism, Sam 'Skelly' McCrory was once regarded as one of the most dangerous terrorists in Western Europe.
This makes sense as it's just bullying at the end of the ...
another conservative Civil P, come on labour!
Friday, 2 January 2009 Cornwall police to prosecute gay ...