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Singapore backs call to destroy gay-themed books
SINGAPORE — A children’s book inspired by a real-life story of two male penguins raising a baby chick in New York’s zoo has been deemed inappropriate by state-run Singapore libraries, and the conservative city-state’s information minister said he supports the decision to destroy all copies alongside two other titles. The National Library Board, which runs 26 public libraries in Singapore…
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Uganda court rules against activists who said official violated their rights
KAMPALA, Uganda — A Uganda court on Wednesday ruled against a group of gay rights activists who sued a Ugandan official they say violated their rights. Justice Stephen Musota ruled against four LGBT activists who had sued the ethics and integrity minister, Simon Lokodo, for shutting down a February 2012 workshop. Musota said the workshop participants….
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Russian MP says naked Apollo on banknote promotes ‘gay propaganda’
A Russian lawmaker wants his country’s Central Bank to change the 100 rouble note and remove naked images of the Greek god Apollo because it violates Russian law by exposing minors to “gay propaganda.” “You can see clearly that Apollo is naked, you can see his genitalia,” says Member of Parliament Roman Khudyakov.
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Moroccan appeals court upholds convictions for homosexuality
A Moroccan appeals court has upheld the convictions of several men accused of homosexual acts. At least four of the six defendants in the case in central Morocco were convicted July 2 on charges that included “lewd or unnatural acts with an individual of the same sex,” according to Human Rights Watch.
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Former Italian Prime Minister comes out in support of LGBT rights
Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi made a rare public statement Sunday indicating his support of LGBT rights, according to Italian media reports. “The [fight] for civil rights for homosexuals is a fight that in a truly modern and democratic country should be everyone’s responsibility,” Berlusconi said, according to La Repubblica.
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Record attendance at Pink Dot rally in Singapore amid religious opposition
SINGAPORE — Thousands of gay rights activists gathered in downtown Singapore on Saturday for an annual rally that came under unprecedented criticism from religious conservatives, with one influential Christian pastor calling on the government to ban the event. Previous Pink Dot rallies have been held without much opposition. But as they grew…
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Vatican: Many Catholics ignore teachings on marriage, homosexuality
VATICAN CITY — The Vatican admitted Thursday that most Catholics around the world reject its teachings about sex and contraception as an intrusion into their private lives, and are ignorant of other core doctrines about marriage, divorce and homosexuality. The Vatican blamed its own priests for much of the problem, saying they simply aren’t …
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Mayor, diplomats join LGBT pride festival in Thessaloniki, Greece
THESSALONIKI, Greece — Police say more than 6,000 people have marched through the streets of Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki, in its third gay pride parade. Taking part was Mayor Yiannis Boutaris and the consuls of the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland and Portugal.
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Luxembourg legislature votes to legalize same-sex marriage, adoption
Luxembourg’s legislature voted Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage and adoption, making the tiny country the eleventh in Europe to allow marriage equality for same-sex couples. The measure passed in the Chamber of Deputies by a vote of 56-4 after a petition by opponents failed to gain the required 4,500 signatures.
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Gay politician attacked with acid substance at Vienna pride event
VIENNA — Austria’s first openly gay politician was the victim of an attack at Friday’s annual LGBT pride parade in Vienna. An unknown assailant sprayed butyric acid at Ulrike Lunacek, leader of the Austrian Greens’ delegation to the European Parliament, as she was giving an interview on the sidelines of the parade.