On Human Rights Day 2009 (10 December), which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recently declared would focus on non-discrimination, the Equal Rights Trust (ERT) will issue a series of specific appeals to nine governments and parliaments to act on discrimination. Politics
Monday, 07 December 2009 21:10
Stonewall has released a plain English guide on how to challenge homophobic language in schools. The guide is aimed at secondary and primary school teachers and education and youth professionals in Britain.
This is the first in a series of education guides for teachers on different specific aspects of tackling homophobic bullying. Each Stonewall education guide will contain practical advice as well as information on policy, legislation and real case study examples of how schools are already combating the problem. The best practice examples come from members of Stonewall’s Education Champions Programme, which enables Local Authorities to work with Stonewall and each other to tackle homophobic bullying in their local schools.
Research conducted by YouGov for Stonewall this year has shown that homophobic language and bullying is commonplace in schools, but teachers are massively under-resourced to tackle the problem. 95 per cent of secondary school staff and three quarters of primary school staff reported hearing the phrases ‘you’re so gay’ or ‘that’s so gay’ in their schools. Eight in ten secondary school teachers and two in five primary school teachers reported hearing other insulting homophobic remarks such as ‘poof’, ‘dyke’ and ‘queer’.
A survey of gay and lesbian parents undertaken by Rainbow Family Holidays has found that more than half of the men and women surveyed preferred the company of similar families when on holiday. 
Data published today by the UK's Health Protection Agency shows that in 2008, an estimated 2,760 men who have sex with men (MSM) were newly diagnosed with HIV. This is 6% fewer than in 2007. The fall is not due to a lack of testing - more people tested for the virus in 2008.
In advance of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting this weekend, the Equal Rights Trust (ERT) has called on the Heads of Government to condemn an Anti-Homosexuality Bill recently introduced in the Parliament of Uganda and to take urgent action to repeal existing homophobic laws across the Commonwealth.
The UK theme for World AIDS Day 2009 will focus on the reality of HIV in the UK today. The aim is to present true, and sometimes surprising, accounts of how HIV affects people in the UK and to dispel myths and misinformation.
All gay men, regardless of their HIV status, are responsible for safer sex. This World AIDS Day, GMFA, the gay men’s health charity, will be promoting this message across the London gay scene with a new postcard campaign and host of fundraising events. 
On Thursday 26th November a one off celebrity extravaganza will take West London’s The Paradise by storm and will see some of the biggest names in fashion and music performing live onstage. 
A gay businessman paid a man to repeatedly punch him for sexual pleasure, a court heard yesterday.