A law has been proposed in Russia that would force anyone with HIV to join a database, and submit their details and fingerprints to the government, according to Pink News. The amendment, which State Duma deputy Roman Khudyakov proposed, will create a mandatory database for people with "dangerous contagious diseases." The amendment reportedly has broad support from the government, and the Federal Migration Service, Interior Ministry, Emergencies Ministry and Prosecutor General's Office have approved the draft.
Brunei has said it has delayed a law punishing gay sex by stoning, but said it will happen "in the very near future," according to Gay Star News. The predominantly Muslim nation in southeast Asia has faced international criticism after adopting a new penal code calling for death by stoning for several crimes that include adultery and rape in addition to homosexuality. No confirmed new date was given for the start of the punishments, which will also eventually include flogging and the severing of limbs.
A Sydney, Australia, man has been convicted of killing his male partner after he was told of his HIV status, Pink News reported. Felipe Flores's battered body was discovered with his pants around his ankles in an area once coined "lovers' lane" in Woolloomooloo in 1991. After detectives found DNA under Flores' fingernails in 2008, former partner Paul Armstrong was arrested. He had been found guilty of murder by a Supreme Court jury in 2010; however, the conviction was overturned on appeal last year and a retrial ordered.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has spoken of the struggle to do "what is right and just to all" over the issue of gay marriage within the Church of England, according to BBC News. The Most Rev. Justin Welby told the Daily Telegraph that Christians in some parts of the world find the issue "almost impossible" to deal with, but he said the Church had caused "great harm" to gay and lesbian groups. Same-sex marriage became legal in England and Wales last month; however, the church does not support it.
Glenn Greenwald told CNN's Brian Stelter that receiving the Pulitzer Prize for public service was "really gratifying," according to The Huffington Post. Greenwald and other journalists at The Guardian and The Washington Post were awarded the Pulitzer for their reporting on the National Security Agency. U.S. Congressman Peter King, like other critics of Greenwald, reacted to the news less kindly, calling the win a "disgrace." Greenwald ( who now resides in Brazil ) made news last year when his partner, David Miranda, was detained at London's Heathrow Airport, The Guardian reported.
In Ottawa, a Canadian Forces soldier and Afghanistan war veteran who went on a drunken shooting rampage after a gay tryst faces at least four years in prison after pleading guilty to firearms and other offenses, The Ottawa Citizen reported. After roughing up a man he met at a Days Inn through an online ad, Cpl. Jonathan Laporte shot up his own home and two of his neighbors' cars before arming himself with a shotgun and handgun and blasting his way through the showroom of a high-end car dealership on Feb. 9, 2011.
A Chilean pastor said God sparked a massive forest fire in the coastal city of ValparaÃso in response to lawmakers' consideration of a bill that would legalize civil unions for same-sex couples, according to LGBTQ Nation. Pastor Javier Soto made the comments on his Facebook page, posting two photos of the blaze that ravaged the area. The fires killed at least 15 people and forced more than 10,000 to flee their homes.
Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov wants authorities to shut down gay bars, On Top Magazine noted. Milonov, a member of the legislative assembly of Saint Petersburg, introduced and vocally championed the city's ordinance banning the promotion of "gay propaganda" to minors. A similar nationwide law widely criticized in the West was modeled after Milonov's legislation.
Spanish actor-turned-politician Toni Canto has spoken out about his nude role in a newly released gay-themed movie set in Cuba in which he plays a Spanish sex tourist, according to Gay Star News. Canto—an MP with Spain's Union, Progress and Democracy Party—was filmed on location in Havana in 2011 for the film The Last Match just a few months before being elected to office. Canto said if people thought taking on the role was controversial they should have higher priorities.
China's media regulator has recently cracked down on fan fiction that focuses on romantic relationships between fictional characters of the same sex—including the popular Sherlock and Watson, which it views as pornography, according to GayAsiaNews.com . The National Office Against Pornographic and Illegal Publications ( NOAPIP ) has recently launched a new crackdown on online pornographic content in a campaign called "Cleaning the Web 2014." At least 20 writers have reportedly been arrested for producing "slash fiction," which focuses on romantic or sexual relationships between fictional characters of the same sex.
In India, a 21-year-old gay college student was arrested in the southern state of Tamil Nadu for allegedly murdering two men who refused to have sex with him in two separate incidents, according to GayAsiaNews.com . The accused, S. Periyasamy, was arrested after Salem town police received information that the body of a theater employee was found hacked to death inside the business premises. During interrogation, Periyasamy reportedly confessed he murdered the guard in the toilet when he refused to have sex with him—and that he had murdered another man March 30.
A University of Westminster study shows that gay Polish people are often fleeing discrimination in Poland when they head to the UK, according to Huffington Post UK. Pamela Sposito wrote that 66 percent of London-based students ( of any sexual orientation ) from Poland think anti-gay speech in their country is a common phenomenon and 75 percent considers the UK a more gay-friendly society. Moreover, 75 percent of young Poles in UK claimed there is hardly any support for student LGBT rights at Polish universities.
In Norway, a plumber has been acquitted from a charge of attempted murder on the grounds of insanity after stabbing his workmate 10 times for being called a "grumpy little gay," Pink News reported. A younger plumber had claimed that the 42-year-old suspect had a secret gay lover, refusing to take an order from him and giving him the "grumpy" tag. As the suspect had a history of mental illness, he was acquitted from a criminal charge of attempted murder.
In the United Kingdom, a lesbian couple was thrown out of a KFC restaurant in Bath after other customers objected to what was described as "heavy petting," the UK Independent reported. The couple complained to police about their treatment in the restaurant, saying they had been verbally abused during the incident. A KFC spokesman said the company was "very sorry for any offense caused."
India's Supreme Court may rule on the legality of gay sex after HIV non-government organization the Naz Foundation applied for the chief justice of the court to review the matter, Gay Star News reported. The foundation's lawyers hope the chief justice will take into account the recent Indian Supreme Court ruling that created a legal third gender status for transgender Indians.
The Pew Research company asked people in 40 different countries, "Do you personally believe that homosexuality is morally acceptable, morally unacceptable, or is it not a moral issue?," according to Gay Star News. Catholic-centered Spain came out on top, with only 6 percent saying they found homosexuality to be morally unacceptable, while 55 percent said it was acceptable and another 38 percent said it was not an issue of morality. Germany was the next most approving, while the United States ranked 12th. Ninety-three percent of Indonesians morally disapproved of homosexuality.
Mexican cops reportedly abused a gay couple, bundled them into a police van and fined them—just for sharing a kiss, according to Gay Star News. orge, 24, and Alan, 26, were accused of "disturbing the peace" by officers as they kissed on a street corner in La Paz. They were released after paying a fine of 300 pesos ( $23 ) each. Following hearing the news of the arrest, the local LGBTI group has organized a kiss protest on May 17—the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia.
