In China, popular bar singer Zhou Youping allegedly posted personal ads looking for people to play S&M sex games with him—and went on to kill six men while at least two others escaped, according to Agence France-Presse. Zhou told a Chinese newspaper, "At first I wanted them to be my 'slave'. But when they met me they wanted money or had special requests. I didn't like that and wanted to use the hanging asphyxiation method to kill them." Zhou reportedly killed his first victim last October after discovering the man was HIV-positive.
In Canada, plans for a multimillion-dollar HIV-research facility were scrapped because it simply was not needed, according to a Canadian Press item. Dr. David Butler-Jones told a governmental committee that a recent study showed that there was already plenty of storage space for HIV vaccine. The $88 million lab was to be part of the Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative, a joint venture involving Canada and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
In England, the Foreign Office, the Department for International Development and the Borders Agency plan to stop a member of Uganda's Parliament from entering the country if the African country's anti-homosexual measure passes, according to 365Gay.com . The agencies are formulating a plan to block MP David Bahati's travel visa if the bill—which punishes gay sex with imprisonment or execution—passes. The legislation has stalled and may not be voted on until next year.
In Jamaica, gay-rights activists recently held their first public pride event—a huge step in a country where openly gay individuals have been attacked and even killed, according to Passport Magazine. The "Walk for Tolerance" attracted a crowd of almost 100 people. William Urich, the chair of InterPride Committee on International GLBTI Human Rights, told UK Gay News, "My eyes well up at the very thought of the day's outstanding and astounding success."
In India, actress/gay-rights advocate Celina Jaitley spoke at the gay-film festival Kashish, according to the BBC News. During Kashish, which took place in Mumbai, more than 100 LGBT-themed films were shown. At the festival, Jaitley and trans activist Adeem Ahir explained why the event is so important.
Bolivian President Evo Morales told climate-change conference attendees that eating chicken can make men gay, according to Pink News. Morales said, "The chicken we eat is loaded with female hormones. So, when men eat it, they tend to deviate from their manhood," adding that he only consumes chicken that is not genetically modified. Gay-rights activist Cesar Cigliutti called the statement an "absurdity."
Roger Vangheluwe, 73—the longest-serving bishop in Belgium—resigned April 23 after he admitted that he sexually abused "a young man in my close entourage" many years ago, according to the New York Times. Vangheluwe, the bishop of Bruges for more than a quarter-century, said that the abuse took place "when I was still a simple priest and for a while when I began as a bishop," adding that he was "profoundly sorry." On the same day, Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Irish Bishop James Moriarty, who had been cited in a report for allegedly mishandling and concelaing priest-abuse cases.
In Indonesia, it turns out that police or military applicants in the Papua district are automatically disqualified if they've had penis-enlargement surgery, according to Reuters. Papua Police Chief Bekto Suprapto said that applicants "will be asked whether or not his vital organ has been enlarged"—if so, he will be banned from joining the police or the military. A police spokesman added that the larger size causes "hindrance during training."
In Toronto, Canada, Pink Triangle Press ( PTP ) has announced plans to transform the international gay-travel publication Guide magazine from print to the Internet. A re-designed GuideMag.com, which will focus solely on gay travel, will launch at the end of May. The final print edition of Guide magazine, the August 2010 issue, will be published the third week of July.
