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Latvia foreign minister Edgars Rinkevics via Twitter: ‘I proudly announce I’am gay’
RIGA, Latvia — Latvia’s Foreign Minister has announced on Twitter that he’s gay, becoming the first openly homosexual Cabinet member in the Baltic country. Edgars Rinkevics late Thursday wrote a tweet in Latvian in support of legal recognition of gay partnerships with the hashtag “Proudtobegay.” He followed up with another tweet in English saying…
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Russian memorial to Steve Jobs dismantled after Apple CEO comes out
MOSCOW — A Russian statue that pays tribute to Apple founder Steve Jobs has been taken down in response to last week’s announcement by Apple CEO Tim Cook that he is gay. The six foot statue of an iPhone on a university campus in St. Petersburg was dismantled in part because it would be a violation of the country’s anti-gay laws.
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Gay rights advocates march peacefully in conservative Montenegro
ODGORICA, Montenegro — Protected by hundreds of riot police, about 200 gay activists marched peacefully on Sunday in Montenegro, a staunchly conservative Balkan country seeking EU membership. Carrying banners reading “Let’s Love Each Other” or “This is Just Beginning,” gay activists gathered in the capital, Podgorica, as police deployed…
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Macedonia: Gay rights activists attacked in Skopje cafe, two wounded
SKOPJE, Macedonia — Police say about 30 people wearing masks and throwing rocks and bottles have attacked members of a gay rights activist group in Macedonia, wounding two of them. Friday’s assault occurred at a coffee shop in the Old Bazaar section of Skopje, the capital, as the LGBT Association of Macedonia was…
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Former Italian premier promotes legalizing same-sex civil unions in Italy
ROME — Silvio Berlusconi is pushing for the legalization of civil unions between gays in Italy, but not same-sex marriage. In Rome, where politicians are sensitive to Vatican policy, the leader of Italy’s largest center-right party told reporters Thursday that allowing civil unions by gays would be the “right compromise” between freedom for all and…
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Rome mayor registers 16 gay marriages in open defiance of Italy’s government
ROME — The gay marriage debate arrived within walking distance of the Vatican on Saturday as Rome’s mayor registered 16 gay marriages celebrated abroad in open defiance of Italy’s government. Gay marriage is illegal in Italy. Interior Minister Angelino Alfano recently sent a notice to local prefects saying any registrations of gay marriages …
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Estonia becomes first former Soviet nation to legalize gay partnerships
TALLINN, Estonia — Estonia on Thursday became the first former Soviet nation to legalize gay partnerships, while Kyrgyzstan – another ex-Soviet republic thousands of kilometers east – considers anti-gay legislation. The parallel moves reflect starkly divergent paths taken by the countries that once were parts of the Soviet empire.
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Alliance Defending Freedom lobbies for anti-gay marriage vote in Slovakia
Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona-based Religious Right powerhouse, has urged Slovakia’s constitutional court to allow anti-gay activists to place a referendum on the country’s ballot that would reinforce the current bans on same-sex marriage, adoption, and domestic partner protections and add a provision making it harder for schools to offer sex education.
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Serbia LGBT pride march takes place undisturbed as riot police stand guard
BELGRADE, Serbia — Waving rainbow-colored flags, several hundred gay activists proceeded undisturbed through downtown Belgrade on Sunday thanks to the protection of thousands of riot police. The march advanced for only several hundred meters through the empty Belgrade streets where shops were closed and public transport was stopped….
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Head of Serbia church denounces planned gay pride march
BELGRADE, Serbia — The head of Serbia’s influential Christian Orthodox church on Tuesday denounced a gay pride march planned for the weekend, adding to tensions over the event, which has faced threats from extremists. Patriarch Irinej said in a statement that the “shameless” event casts a moral shadow on Serbia — a conservative …