2007 Florida Gay Pride
|
Comment: Is newspaper backlash aid to homophobia?
PinkNews.co.uks Dave McElhill ponders press reporting regarding EU enlargement and asks if the tones are helping the international gay community.
The recent headlines have been full of commentary regarding the likely influx of new immigrants when Bulgaria and Romania join the EU.
The right wing press though is aiming to keep levels of legal immigration down from countries which are openly anti-gay, as shown by the response to pride marches throughout former Soviet states, in particular Latvia.
Questions remain, though, as to whether or not the two new EU candidate countries are as openly homophobic.
If so this presents grounds for possible immigration to avoid discrimination.
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, has not held a gay pride march in over 4 years.
Roth forum to focus on gay, lesbian issues
La Quinta resident David Roth, a Democratic candidate for the 45th Congressional District, will host a town meeting Sept. 18 in Palm Springs focusing on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues.
The meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. at The Desert Pride Center, 611 S. Palm Canyon Drive, in Suite 201 of The Sun Center.
Audience members are encouraged to ask Roth questions. Though the primary focus of the forum will be the LGBT community and its issues and concerns, others are welcome to attend and participate, Roth campaign officials said.
Information: 202-2828.
Roth will face incumbent Rep. Mary Bono, R-Palm Springs, in the Nov. 7 general election. .
Rich Scot fights against gay ‘sin’
A Christian millionaire is taking on a Scottish fire department for disciplining firemen for refusing to hand out information at a gay Pride parade.
George Hargreaves, made his fortune with a string of 1980s hit songs, including Yazz and Five Star, and used his royalties to launch the Scottish Christian party, which preaches that homosexuality is a sin.
Hargreaves is threatening to take the Strathclyde Fire and Rescue service to court, after they were disciplined for refusing to distribute safety leaflets at a Pride parade. One officer was demoted and took a 5,000 pay cut. Hargreaves claims the men were forced to undergo diversity training as part of their punishment, and says their human rights have been breached.
Who sets the bounds of acceptable diversity? Should it be employers, the state, the individual or the highly organised minority whose practices deviate so much from the mainstream that acceptance of their diversity needs to be forced by edict on the majority? he said.
Ken condemns police ‘failures’ at Estonia gay pride march
The Mayor of London has added his voice to the criticism of police and politicians who failed to protect gay and lesbians from attack during a gay rights parade in Estonia.
Ken Livingstone slammed the authorities in the capital, Tallinn, calling their lack of action inexcusable.
Having permitted the parade, and being aware of the potential for violence, Tallinn City Council and the city's police should have taken all reasonable steps to robustly defend the fundamental human rights of those taking part, the Mayor said in a statement today.
At last weekends gay pride march around 15 people were injured after being attacked by groups of skinheads with sticks and stones while celebrating the countrys third gay pride event.
This follows a series of far-right attacks on gay rights events across Eastern Europe and Russia.
|
