Guido Westerwelle, Germany's openly gay foreign minister, reportedly told Moscow's envoy to Berlin, Vladimir Grinin, that a Russian draft law banning "homosexual propaganda" could harm Russia's ties with Europe, according to Reuters. Westerwelle had made clear that in Germany's view the law violated the European human-rights convention. Westerwelle told Grinin he spoke as a "friend of Russia" who wanted Moscow to better defend human rights and democracy.
In support of the LGBT community, Venice, Italy, is seeking to cut ties with its Russian sister city, St. Petersburg, according to the Huffington Post. The Italian city wants to break off cultural relations with the Russian city because of the latter's anti-gay legislation. On Jan. 28, the Venice city council unanimously approved a motion asking officials to cease cultural exchanges as long as anti-gay laws are in place. In 2006, the two cities signed an agreement to pursue cultural and further exchanges.
Handwritten letters between the late Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and close friend Hermann Kallenbach, a South African bodybuilder, are on display in India's National Archives, according to Gay Star News. Some people have speculated about the closeness of the twosome, stirring a huge controversy in India, where many people deny the possibility Gandhi could have been gay. The letters went public Jan. 30, the 65th anniversary of Gandhi's assassination.
In Italy, Nichi Vendola, the governor of the region of Puglia, said that he would like to have the "right" to get married to his partner in front of his "community and family," according to Pink News. Speaking on Italian radio, Vendola said he had lived with his Canadian partner for years, and that he would like to get married to him. Vendola leads the leftist SEL party, and is the chief ally of the center-left Democratic Party (PD), which leads in polls ahead of elections next month.
The Lancet Infectious Diseases medical journal reports that efforts to reduce HIV transmission among gay and bisexual men in the United Kingdom over the past decade have failed, according to Bloomberg.com . New infections in England and Wales have flatlined at 2,300 to 2,500 new cases yearly. Researchers speculate that the trend may have resulted from a rise in unsafe sex because men no longer view HIV infection as a death sentence, and because social media makes it easier for men to find partners.
In Iceland, a 15-year-old girl won her lifelong battle to use her given name after government officials said it was too masculine and inappropriate for a girl, according to Advocate.com . The Reykjavik District Court ruled that the name "Blaer" can be used despite the opposition of authorities and Iceland's strict law on names. Until the decision, Blaer Bjarkardottir had been identified as "Girl" while in contact with officials.
In Canada, the Vancouver Canucks pro invited a 16-year-old transgender goalie to take the ice alongside NHL goaltender Cory Schneider at the Canucks' Jan. 23 game against the Calgary Flames, Advocate.com noted. Cory Oskam, a 10th-grader and transgender male, usually plays goalie for Brittania Secondary School. Oskam was invited onto the ice alongside Schneider for the rendition of the national anthem, "Oh, Canada," as part of Minor Hockey Week at Vancouver's Rogers Arena. Oskam said he chose his first name as an homage to Schneider.
A Conservative member of Parliament (MP) has said that as a "God-fearing woman," she supports marriage equality in England and Wales, according to Gay Star News. Helen Grant, MP for Maidstone in Kent, said religious people should believe in justice and fairness. Christians who support same-sex marriage planned to hold a prayer Feb. 3; a legislative debate on a marriage measure will take place Feb. 5.
A UN regional seminar on sexual orientation and gender identity will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal, in March or April, according to Gay Star News. Government officials, scholars and activists from around the Asian region will attend the seminar and submit recommendations to the UN Human Rights Commission meeting coming up later this year in Geneva. Gay-rights activist Sunil Pant said, "Despite all the challenges in Nepal, we are proud that we stand by human rights and celebrate human diversity."
Pham Le Quynh Tram—Vietnam's one and only transgender citizen whose gender transition was officially recognized after gender-reassignment surgery—is about to have her recognition revoked, the Huffington Post reported. The Vietnamese Ministry of Justice reportedly stated that Pham's recognition isn't applicable because of a law banning gender reassignment after puberty. The People's Committee of the southern province of Binh Phuoc ordered the local justice department to revert to recognizing Tram as a male and to refer to her as Pham Van Hiep, her birth name.
In Canada, so-called "gay cure" therapist Dr. Aubrey Levin, 74, has been sentenced to five years in jail after being convicted of molesting male patients, according to Gay Star News. Levin was convicted on three counts of sexual assault. Court of Queen's Bench Justice Donna Shelley told the disgraced doctor that it was a "horrible violation of the trust of these three patients."
Russia's children's-rights ombudsman, Pavel Astakhov, ruled out any possibility of adoption of Russian orphans by French gay couples if France introduces same-sex marriage, Gay Star News noted. Astakhov told the Rossiskaya Gazeta daily that "marriage is a union of a man and a woman. We do not have anything else—period." Russia recently approved a ban on U.S. adoptions, citing the alleged unwillingness of the U.S. side to cooperate in investigation of cases of child abuse.
For the first time, Denmark has granted asylum to a transgender person due to risk of persecution in her home country, according to Gay Star News. Guatemalan trans-rights activist Fernanda Milan was granted asylum after she was granted a last-minute reprieve last September, when the Refugee Board put her deportation on hold and reopened her case.
An advertisement that appeared on Grindr, Gaydar and other dating sites and apps has been removed after reportedly promoting misleading advice about HIV, Pink News reported. It was accompanied with the title "Got the cool gene?" and promoted a test that it claimed could determine if someone had a genetic mutation that makes HIV infection less likely. Opponents branded the ad "irresponsible."
