[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/harveymilk.gif[/img2]A bill to designate May 22nd as Harvey Milk Day has reached the desk of California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Milk was a gay activist who was assassinated in 1978. He was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. During his 11 months in office he sponsored a gay rights bill and helped to defeat a proposition that would have seen openly gay and lesbian teachers sacked.

The bill has already passed the state's house and senate, and if signed by Schwarzenegger, will pass into law as a special commemorative day to encourage schools to recognise the activist's work.

However, the day would not be an official holiday.

Last September, Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill and said that Milk was not well-known enough. Since then, a film of the activist's life won an Oscar and he was posthumously awarded the the nation's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, by president Barack Obama.

In August, Schwarzenegger and his wife Maria Shriver chose Milk as one of 13 inductees into the state's Hall of Fame.

Last week, Equality California and senator Mark Leno delivered almost 40,000 petitions calling for the governor to sign the bill into law.

"Every day we hear from people who have been touched by Harvey Milk's inspiring message of hope and his story of determination and sacrifice," said Geoff Kors, Equality California executive director.

"A champion for the civil rights of all Californians, Milk's remarkable legacy is still felt far beyond San Francisco, and this bill is an appropriate way to pay tribute to the invaluable contributions he made to our state and to our nation."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/lordsnowdon.jpg[/img2]Lord Snowdon, who was married to Princess Margaret, had gay affairs, the celebrity interior designer Nicky Haslam has claimed.

In a forthcoming memoir, Haslam, 69, alleges he had an affair in 1959 with Lord Snowdon, then known as Antony Armstrong-Jones, just a year before he married Princess Margaret.

He also said the peer had an affair with Tom Parr, later head of the luxury-goods firm Colefax and Fowler.

Haslam said he first met Lord Snowdon in 1955 at the age of 16 and began an affair with him four years later.

He wrote: "I had a very brief romance with Tony Armstrong-Jones, somewhat one-sided on my part as Tony, who was dazzlingly attractive, had other irons in the fire."

However, Lord Snowdon, now 79, has poured cold water on the claims, saying: "It's not true as far as I'm concerned – and I should know."

The peer has been subject to rumours about his sexuality for decades but has never said he is bisexual.

When asked once in at a party in New York about the Queen's health, Princess Margaret is said to have replied: "Which one? My sister, my mother or my husband?"

Yesterday, the official website of the Prime Minister's office published an apology for the treatment of Alan Turing and many others who found themselves in his situation. This has come after a long campaign for Mr Turing's rehabilitation after he was the victim of homophobic law during the 1950s. To quote from the statement:

Turing was a quite brilliant mathematician, most famous for his work on breaking the German Enigma codes. It is no exaggeration to say that, without his outstanding contribution, the history of World War Two could well have been very different. He truly was one of those individuals we can point to whose unique contribution helped to turn the tide of war. The debt of gratitude he is owed makes it all the more horrifying, therefore, that he was treated so inhumanely. In 1952, he was convicted of ‘gross indecency’ - in effect, tried for being gay. His sentence - and he was faced with the miserable choice of this or prison - was chemical castration by a series of injections of female hormones. He took his own life just two years later.

Full text of the statement

Nothing will ever compensate for Mr Turing's treatment, but a statement like this has been long overdue, considering the years of embarrassment and real suffering caused to Mr Turing, his family and friends and others in similar situations. Even after homosexual acts in private between consenting adults were legalised in 1967 homophobic victimisation of glbt men and women continued with official sanction. For many in the world the suffering goes on and even here the war is not yet fully over, but these are remarkable times in which to live.

Earlier this year we heard about the Lithuanian Parliament approving legislation to outlaw the "promotion of homosexuality" in its schools. New proposals take this attitude even further, possibly making any mention of homosexuality in public places a criminal act.

I wonder why people get so hot under the collar about EU control of member states when the whole European machine seems to lumber away from confronting something that really matters?

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[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/ladygaga_rs.jpg[/img2]Lady Gaga was thrilled to learn two men had sex at one of her concerts. The 'Poker Face' singer says her career high point so far was during a concert in New York when the audience - which included '4 Minutes' star Madonna - shed their inhibitions and made love as she sang.

The lesbian star said: "My sister texted me and she was like, 'Madonna is 15 feet away from me. And there are two guys having sex in the audience.

"I just remember thinking, 'Wow, this is exactly what I wanted. I've got Madonna and I've got gay sex!'"

Despite being delighted at having Madonna as a fan, the singer has rubbished comparisons between the two performers, insisting she is happy just to be herself.

She explained to V magazine: "Look, when I was a brunette, they called me Amy Winehouse. When I was a blonde, they called me Madonna. Then they called me Christina (Aguilera), then Gwen (Stefani). I just don't think most people's reference points go back very far."

Despite her ascent to global stardom, the 'Paparazzi' singer insists she will always continue to play intimate concerts at gay clubs as she wouldn't have a career without them.

She explained: "With the exception of God, my family, and best friend Matthew Williams, and the Haus of GaGa, the gay community is the single reason that I am here today.

"I started out playing gay clubs in America, then I went to London to play G-A-Y, where I didn't think anyone knew who I was, and there were thousands of people there. How could I ever turn my back on those people who really fought for me? And besides the loyalty factor, playing in gay clubs is fun!"

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/outladygaga.jpg[/img2]Lady Gaga has branded claims she is a hermaphrodite "ridiculous". The 'Poker Face' singer furiously denied rumours she has both male and female genitalia, insisting the speculation has gone beyond a joke.

The 23-year-old bisexual star told Australia's Matt and Jo radio show: "It's too low brow for me to even discuss. I've made fun of it before but to talk about it is ridiculous."

Gaga - whose real name is Stefani Germanotta - has previously made light of the claims, jokingly posting on a blog: "I have both male and female genitalia, but I consider myself a female."

Meanwhile, the outrageous star has revealed she spends her free time watching her own concerts on YouTube. She said: "I like to watch my performances sometimes. I'm always trying to improve on choreography and the stage shows. I like to watch the lighting. "I often argue with my lighting designer on the show - as much as I like to light the show for the room, it's important to light the show and design the sound for YouTube. "In truth, lots of my fans can't make it to my shows in Israel or Germany or in Paris, so they go online to watch them."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/sineadshandvid.jpg[/img2]An ad from Irish gay marriage group MarriagEquality has become a worldwide hit on the internet.

The video, titled Sinead's Hand, sees a smartly-dressed young man traipsing through streets and the Irish countryside asking everyone he meets for 'Sinead's' hand in marriage.

Towards the end of the film, a message appears on screen: "How would you feel if you had to ask four million people permission to get married? Lesbian and gay men are denied access to marriage in Ireland."

Irish actor Hugh O’Connor plays the young man and the soundtrack is Ocean and Rock by Lisa Hannigan.

After being launched at GAZE, the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the film is now being virally marketed around the world and has become something of a hit.

It has been viewed 54,000 times on YouTube by people from all over the world.

Andrew Hyland, spokesman for MarriagEquality, said "There was already a US version but we wanted an Irish version to make it more relevant to people."

"All the settings will be very familiar to Irish people, depending on where you're from. There are lots of recognisable sites."

"The actor, Hugh O'Connor, is very famous. He was in Chocolat with Johnny Depp and also My Left Foot. And Lisa Hannigan, who performs the soundtrack, is very popular with Irish people. We called it Sinead's Hand as Sinead is a very Irish [female] name and we thought it sounded short and cute."

"The film was really made to motivate people. When we premiered it at the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, the reaction was amazing. The message at the end got a big round of applause."

"Apparently it is spreading like wildfire. People from the UK, Ireland, America and all over the world have seen it. It's one of those things that once you've seen it, it stays with you."

Currently, gay marriage and civil partnerships are not legal in Ireland but the Irish parliament is to debate proposed legislation on civil partnerships this month.

It passed, it will grant gay and lesbian couples legal recognition in areas such as pensions, social security, property rights, tax, succession and the payment of maintenance.

However, various advocacy groups are becoming more vocal in their calls for gay marriage.

The government has ruled it out, claiming that it would require a change to the country's constitution and a potentially divisive referendum.

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/holdinghands.jpg[/img2]A Day in Hand, the campaign to encourage LGBT people to hold hands in public, is asking them to show their affection publicly on the last Saturday of each month.

The first Sshh! (same-sex hand-holding) Saturday will be on September 26th, to remember July's shooting at a gay bar in Tel Aviv, Israel.

The campaign has received the backing of a number of celebrities such as mayor of London Boris Johnson, Peter Tatchell and Boy George and is an attempt to allow gay, bisexual and trans people to feel more comfortable in public.

A Day In Hand founder David Watkins is trying to make Sshh! Saturdays a worldwide event and is asking people to uphold photos of themselves holding hands to [email protected].

He said: "Sshh! Saturdays aims to ultimately create safer spaces for LGBT people. As the idea of Sshh! Saturdays grow in popularity and spread across the world, the last Saturday of every month will become a day of support for LGBT people who want to show their commitment in public. Many years ago in the UK, LGBT people knew that the last carriage of every train would be populated by members of the queer community. Today, A Day In Hand wants people to feel the same sense of support in public spaces on the last Saturday of every month."

He continued: "Same-sex hand-holding (Sshh!) is a silent revolution for LGBT people, because nothing needs to be said: no bold speeches, no reactive arguments, no war of words. Each LGBT person has the power to change the hearts and minds of people in their local community quietly, subtly, by simply holding hands publicly and owning their space. However, hand-holding is a simple powerful gesture that can happen anywhere, at any time."

For those who live in areas where same-sex affection is public is not safe, Watkins stressed that the campaign was not asking people to ignore their "survival instincts".

Instead, he said: "We are asking people to think about public displays of affection in more creative, less obtrusive ways. If you can’t hold hands in your immediate area, how about resting your head on your partner’s shoulder at the cinema, or kissing them good-bye in the car? We have to start expressing our love in the mainstream."


Eminem and Elton holding hands at the 2001 Grammys :-)

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/babylesbian.jpg[/img2]As of yesterday, lesbian couples who have children through fertility treatment can be named on birth certificates.

Previously, only the birth mother could be named as a parent.

The changes to the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987 apply to any child born after fertility treatment which began on or after April 6th 2009.

This new right was introduced as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill which was approved by the House of Commons last year. It brings the UK's fertility laws in line with equality legislation.

Home Office minister Lord Brett said: "This positive change means that for the first time female couples who have a child using fertility treatment have the same rights as their heterosexual counterparts to be shown as parents in the birth registration.

"It is vital that we afford equality wherever we can in society, especially as family circumstances continue to change. This is an important step forward in that process."

Stonewall’s head of policy and research, Ruth Hunt, said: "As the law improves to provide further equality, knowing your new rights will help people make full use of the services they’re entitled to. And, if discrimination occurs, the same knowledge can help them demand fair treatment.

"Now lesbian couples in the UK who make a considered decision to start a loving family will finally be afforded equal access to services they help fund as taxpayers.

"So life for lesbian families isn’t only fairer – it’s also much easier."

The move has already drawn criticism from some quarters, with Conservative MP Nadine Dorries telling the BBC: "If we want to build a stable society, a mother and father and children works as the best model. We should be striving towards repairing and reinforcing marriage. I think this move sends out the exact opposite message."

[img2=left]http://www.gayspeak.com/forum/images/news/thelword.jpg[/img2]The producers of the original lesbian series The L Word are set to create a new reality TV show, entitled The Real L Word: Los Angeles.

Focusing on the lives of real LA lesbians, producers hope the show will appeal to fans of the fictional drama starring Katherine Moennig and Clementine Ford.

Showtime has given the go-ahead for nine episodes of the new show, with L Word creator Ilene Chaiken at the helm.

Speaking of the forthcoming series, she said: "Even though we concluded our sixth season of 'The L Word' on Showtime this past March, I believe we are not nearly finished telling our 'L Word' stories."

Chaiken continued: "Showtime has yet again come forward to continue with us this mission to entertain and enlighten and bring more 'L' to the world."

However Showtime did not pick up Chaiken's idea for an L Word spin-off, provisionally entitled The Farm, which was expected to star Leisha Hailey.

The Real L Word: Los Angeles is expected to air in the US in 2010.