In Germany, Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and Michael Mronz have entered into a civil partnership, according to Advocate.com . The couple held a ceremony Sept. 17 in Bonn; Mayor Jürgen Nimptsch conducted the ceremony. Civil partnerships in Germany provide most of the rights of traditional marriage, with the exceptions of tax benefits and same-sex adoption.
In his autobiography, broadcaster/actor Stephen Fry said that he is "90 per cent gay" because he has been attracted to two women, Pink News reported. Frywho has been in movies such as Wilde and V for Vendettawrote that he had been attracted to makeup artist Sunetra Sastry and novelist Caroline Oulton.
In England, James Anderson has become the first cricket player to pose nude for a gay magazine, appearing on the cover of Attitude, according to Cricket Next. Anderson, a 28-year-old who is married to a woman and has a child, said that cricket is a very welcoming sport, and that gay players should be comfortable being open.
In England, Tory Councillor Jim Farquharsonwho was accused of calling Liberal Democrat city leader John Stewart a "faggot"has apologized, but not for that term, Pink News reported. Farquharson said he was sorry for calling Stewart a "fat git" and a "fascist;" however, he denied directing anti-gay slurs at Stewart. However, Stewart responded, "Just because someone apologises for something does not make it acceptable behaviour."
In Canada's Northwest Territories, gay couple Scott Robertson and Richard Anthony have been awarded $13,400 because a landlord refused to rent them an apartment because of their sexual orientation, according to CBC.ca. Robertson and Anthony told a human-rights panel they had signed a one-year lease and paid a $1,125 damage deposit for the unit; however, landlord William Goertzen refused to acknowledge the lease after learning they were a gay couple. The decision stated in part that Goertzen believed "that same-sex relationships are 'unnatural and against nature.'"
In Russia, President Dmitri Medvedev has fired Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov after the mayor questioned the president's fitness to rule, according to the New York Times. Luzhkov, a member of the old guard, was under pressure to resign as Medvedev attempts to make the country's views more modern. Luzhkov had been heavily criticized for his autocratic rule, which incorporated everything from destroying historic buildings to calling homosexuality "satanic" and clashing with gay-rights organizations.
In London, England, gay waiter Vincent Ma is claiming that his former employers sexually harassed him, according to an Advocate.com item. Ma said that " [ o ] n one occasion, my nipples were popped out due to low temperature and one manager said to me it was sexy." Ma also said that a customer tweaked his nipples; when Ma complained to the manager, his employer allegedly asked, "Did you like it?"