It is confirmed. His Madness Benedict XVI will be visiting the United Kingdom at the invitation of PM Gordon Brown. This will be the first papal visit since another controversial catholic leader, John Paul II, came in 1982.

The frock does not make the man

The announcement came with a stern critic of the forthcoming Equality Bill that would remove the exemption given to the Catholic Church not to comply with anti-discrimination laws, particularly in the area of employment and adoption.
The Catholic Church is naturally entitled to have its own views and …

With same-sex marriage defeats in New York and New Jersey, and gay marriage currently on trial in California it’s time to play “whose marriage is it”. All you have to do is say “gay or straight”. Now you are in the hot seat!
Another brilliant instalment from Mark Fiore.

Rating 3.00 out of 5

The first Chinese Gay pageant that was to be held yesterday was cancelled by the Beijing police on the ground that the organisers had not applied “according to the procedures”. Today, the dedicated page on the website of the one of the organisers leads to a Chinese “page not found”.
To avoid “unnecessary difficulty” the organisers wanted the event to have a low-profile locally and focussed reaching out to the international media and local bloggers given the “complicated situation” and the “possibility of increased scrutiny from the authorities”. But the announcement …

The idea of a pageant as a means to improve acceptance of homosexuality made me wince ever so slightly.
“The event is a striking sign of how far attitudes in China have changed and of gay people’s increasing confidence” wrote Tania Branigan in The Guardian. And so, eight  “brave” contestants will tread the catwalk in a show of physical beauty but also character and personality “that will make a difference in the selection” according to Beijing-based Ryan Dutcher, co-founder & Communications Director of Gayographic, and organiser of the event.
But after reflexion, …

French MP Christian Vanneste triggered a flurry of outraged reactions whilst participating in a talk show on French TV channel France 5. Invited to represent the traditional views on family in a debate on homoparentality following the decision by a French court to give parental rights to both partners in a lesbian couple, Mr. Vanneste showed how entrenched homophobia and pernicious and distorted views on homosexuality still exist in a modern country such as France in the 21st century.
On homosexual couples, M. Vanneste said: “Also, it must be said that …