Gay and Christian police in row


The row between the Gay Police Association and the Christian Police Association has been simmering for a while.
A newspaper advertisement taken out by the GPA coincided with London's Europride event a fortnight ago.

The ad featured a Bible next to a pool of blood under the heading "in the name of the father", and claimed that religion was the sole or primary motivation behind most of the homophobic incidents logged by the GPA's staff helpline.

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Romney abolishes governor's commission on gay and lesbian youth


BOSTON --Gov. Mitt Romney issued an executive order Friday abolishing the state's 14-year-old governor's commission on gay and lesbian youth after lawmakers overrode his veto of a bill creating a new commission out of the reach of the governor's office.

A spokesman for Romney said he issued the executive order because there was no need for two commissions both focused on the needs of gay and lesbian youth.

Romney angered many gay rights activists and lawmakers when he flirted with the idea earlier this year of abolishing the commission, the first of its kind in the nation, after a press release announcing a youth gay pride march was issued without the administration's blessing.

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Latvian court upholds gay-rights parade ban


Riga - A district court in the Baltic state of Latvia upheld Friday a ban on a controversial gay-rights parade scheduled to be held in the capital Riga on Saturday.

Permission to hold the parade was denied by Riga City Council on Wednesday, citing security concerns. The security angle means that full details of Friday's hearing cannot be released for five years.
'This is a serious blow to democracy. Riga city council is giving in to the threats of radical groups and is ready to limit fundamental rights in the country,' said Juris Lavrikovs, spokesman for the International Lesbian and Gay Association in Europe.