Prop 8, the 2008 voter initiative that banned gay and lesbian marriages has been the subject of constant legal battles.

In 2010, Judge Vaughn Walker in August, which ruled that the ban on gay marriage in California was wrong. The decision came after a lengthy “trial” of the arguments for and against allowing gay couples to marry. “The evidence presented at trial and the position of the representatives of the State of California show that an injunction against enforcement of Proposition 8 is in the public’s interest,” Judge Walker wrote at the time. He initially ordered for gay marriages to resume in the state with almost immediate effect.

An appeal to his decision was immediately launched but
unusually, the official ‘defendants’ of that appeal, then governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney-General Jerry Brown, refused to defend the ban.

It is likely that regardless of tomorrow’s ruling, there will be an appeal of the judgement of some kind. 40 states have some sort of ban on gay marriage.

This is the sorry tale of how US Customs officials decided to apply such a test – and as a result humiliated and embarrassed a Canadian woman who was on her way to run a marathon and visit friends.

The story, released today by Christin Milloy, who also alerted the world to Canada’s no-fly rule, is that of Jennifer McCreath, from Newfoundland.

Following GRS in January 2011, Ms McCreath applied for a new birth certificate from the Nova Scotia administration, secure in the knowledge that according to officials there, she should expect to wait no longer than 10 days for her new documentation.

Seven weeks later, and with no certificate in sight, Ms McCreath was forced to set off carrying only her current passport, which included a gender marker of “M”.

All went well, until Toronto Pearson international airport, where she had to go through customs before boarding her next airplane, to the United States.

A US Customs agent inspected her passport, where and directed Ms McCreath to ‘Secondary Screening’, where she was photographed and fingerprinted. A further 90 minutes elapsed before anyone else spoke to her: since other individuals were dealt with in the intervening minutes, there is some concern that this was done deliberately in order to ensure she would miss her plane.

There then followed a search of her bags and according to Ms McCreath: “They started asking me all sorts of bizarre personal questions about my sexuality.” They also asked a number of intrusive and personal questions about surgery they assumed she had had, as well as questioning her about her medication and the purpose of a highly intimate device – a dilator – that they discovered in her luggage.

This last line of questioning continued despite the fact that Ms McCreath was carrying with her a doctor’s note which, she explained, “describes (the medical device) as urgent for me to have on my person, and can’t afford to lose them in luggage and to please let me carry them on board”.

In the end, Ms McCreath was permitted to continue on her way, paying out an additional $80 for having to change flights. To add insult to injury, it subsequently transpired that had she chosen to do so, she could have obtained a temporary passport from the Canadian Passport Office in the two years prior to her surgery. However, despite several conversations and a visit to the offices of that body, she was at no time informed of this option.

Following so soon after attempts by Canada’s Ministry of Transport to justify similar discriminatory legislation in respect of flying over Canada, this is a stark reminder of what happens when bad rules are allowed to lie on the books.

Spokespersons for that Office told us last week that:

- The no-fly rules were not new: they had originally been implemented in 2007, and were re-issued last summer;

- They were designed with “security” in mind and would help transport officials in determining whether an individual resembled their photographic identity

- They were in line with International Civil Aviation Organisation rules, as well as similar rules enforced by every other government in the world

They declined, however, to answer questions as to how a subjective assessment of gender might help an individual match a face to a photograph: nor would they give any further information as to how this measure would assist with security.

Despite several requests to substantiate their claims in respect of ICAO rulings, they declined to provide any text to corroborate their claims: nor were they prepared to back up their claims that these rules were the same as rules implemented elsewhere in the world.

Spokespersons for both the UK Border Agency and UK Dept of Transport told us that they were not aware of any such regulation being implemented in the UK.

Most chillingly, when asked how it could be possible for an official to determine whether a passenger appears “to be of the gender indicated on the identification he or she presents” – and whether there were any plans to carry out strip searches in this respect, they again declined to respond.

Ms McCreath understands that US officials are allowed to operate on Canadian soil so long as they abide by Canadian Human Rights legislation: if nothing else, the existence of Canada’s no-fly regulations seems likely to be used by US officials as justification for their action in this instance.

L’Homme du Jour, or Man of the Day, had its administrative access reinstated on Friday night after 4,600 fans were faced with being left without updates over the weekend.

The page currently holds between 50 and 70,000 images of the crème de la crème of male photographic subjects.

Some may have thought the image of Leo Silva posing almost au naturel, taken by Brazilian photographer Antonio Bezerra, had a certain je ne sais quoi.

But Facebook initially disagreed, saying it contravened the community standards rules in its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, and delivered a coup de grâce, temporarily revoking L’Homme du Jour’s administrative rights on Friday.

Ray Clark, the page’s administrator, told PinkNews.co.uk at the time: “I think that the removal of this image is outrageous, we live in a modern society where people (and especially women) are allowed to wear even skimpier and even less than what is shown in this image. This image contains no nudity nor is it sexually suggestive.

“On numerous occasions we have advised Facebook that we are committed to adhering to their community standards and have asked them to clarify exactly what is and isn’t acceptable, but of course they remain mysteriously silent on the issue.”

The social networking site performed a volte-face on the decision hours later, reinstating the administrator rights at 9.30pm GMT.

Facebook’s approach to reports of community standards infringements is turning into a bête noire for some and a feeling of déjà vu would be forgiven after the US military’s gay support group OutServe was also briefly suspended and reinstated after a user reportedly claimed it was infringing its own rights last month.

At the time, blogger John Aravosis wrote that Facebook needed to establish better processes, saying: “This is starting to reek of an anti-gay action by the fake complainant, and we can’t have Facebook setting up a precedent where they pull down the pages of legitimate gay groups every time a homophobe makes up a lie.”

On the subject of who may have prompted L’Homme du Jour’s suspension, which at first looked set to become a cause célèbre, Clark told PinkNews.co.uk: “I think that what is really happening here is a planned and strategic attack on our page by conservative and/or religious groups who are against anything other than an overall.

“But this will only serve to encourage us to post more and more content of this type.”

Vive la résistance.

Minister Samir Dilou said ‘freedom of expression has its limits’ and agreed homosexuality was a ‘perversion’ which needed to be ‘treated medically’.

The attack on Gayday magazine, whose editor has faced religiously inspired hatred and death threats, comes after a month of scandals which has brought gay issues to the fore in Tunisia.

But there has been a long build-up to the current situation.

The post-revolutionary electoral campaigns used homosexuality as a political weapon between the various groups vying for power in the new Tunisia.

Supporters of the now ruling Ennahda party used ‘homosexual panic’ tactics to allege that liberal and secular parties would legalise gay rights and marriage if they were to win, they mockingly likened these other parties’ rallies to gay pride parades.

It put the spotlight on Tunisia’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community who were used to being overlooked rather than the focus of public debate.

Sex scandals and panic

Despite the uncertain atmosphere, Gayday magazine, which claims to be the first online gay title in Tunisia, launched in March 2011 and initially received little attention other than from LGBT Tunisians.

But two scandals hit prominent members of the interim government lead by the Ennahda party three weeks ago. The first was the release of the brother of the Tunisian Minister of Justice, after an allegation that he raped a young boy. The second, occurring just a few days later was a video posted on the internet by a left wing activist allegedly featuring the current Home Office minister, Ali Laarayedh in an erotic homosexual act with a fellow cellmate during the 1990s.

This gave the opposition more opportunity to use gay hatred to lambast and discredit the ruling Ennahda party. Online homophobic reactions rapidly spread over the Tunisian cyber-space.

Fadi, editor of Gayday magazine told PinkNews.co.uk: ‘It feels like suddenly, the subject of homosexuality is no longer a taboo, judging by the magnitude of homophobic posts across the Tunisian cyberspace. Of course there is some positive side just by raising the issue, but what concerned us was the excessive amount of homophobia as a political weapon.’

Liberty March denies LGBT Rights

A ‘Walk for liberties, all liberties’ attracted nearly 10,000 Tunisians on 28 January. It came after a series of human rights violations, mainly against freedom of expression. Participants chanted ‘We won’t sell our freedom!’

But most of the Tunisian gay, bi and trans people didn’t feel their presence or rights were welcome.

‘I didn’t go simply because I see freedom is portrayed by Islamists as a contradiction to their principles. They interpret it as a license for alcohol, nudity and sex which they oppose firmly,’ said Lilia, a lesbian activist.

And Marwan, a 24-year-old gay engineering student added: ‘There was no point for me to join the march. Gay rights don’t figure on their list, they don’t even consider us humans!’

Still some remained defiant, like Bilel, a 35-year-old gay teacher who told PinkNews.co.uk: ‘I went to the march because I think it’s the right time to demand freedom for all.’

The few who made it were shocked to be greeted by homophobic signs and slogans used by their fellow left wing activists.

One read: ‘0.0% is better than a successful faggot’ [ie it is better to have no support than to be a ‘gay’ like the interior minister]..

Fadi said: ‘It was really disconcerting and alarming to witness those homophobic signs and slogans during a march for human rights. It made us feel that our rights are not included.’

Gay Day Magazine ‘cursed’

Just two days after the march Gayday magazine’s cover stirred a second wave of homophobic attacks. A couple of leading and influential opposition Facebook pages posted it with provocative headlines. For example, the ‘Tunisie’ page for instance, which has almost 900,000 fans, received 423 comments it posted the cover along with the title: ‘A magazine for fags is issued in Tunisia’. This has been shared 116 times so far.

Most of the comments on the page were homophobic. They included: ‘God’s curse on them’, ‘That’s what pro-freedom activist call for, perversion and adultery in the name of freedom of expression’ and ‘The democracy we have is excessive and ridiculous. We are in a Muslim country and a magazine like this is intolerable!’

Then Samir El-Wafi, a journalist and celebrity TV presenter known for his tabloid, ranting interview techniques joined the homophobic bandwagon, posted the cover of the magazine on his Facebook page (with over 75,500 fans) followed by the following description: ‘In the chaos of freedom of expression and freeing the media, a first Tunisian magazine for fags was issued!

‘In the name of freedom and in a conservative country whose people are facing a struggle between modernity and tradition; a magazine for fags dares to come out and challenge all the circumstances, rules, morals, ethics and customs.

‘Do we need a further strife because a very small minority expresses its perversion… not caring about the feelings and the sacred beliefs of a majority?

‘Today a magazine, tomorrow a pride march, then gay marriage… and after that who knows?’

The post got 381 likes, 124 comments and 165 shares.

The next day Fadi, received hateful messages and death threats.

One from someone identifying themselves as ‘Emna’ said: ‘You are a zero. We don’t give a fuck about you. You ought to be out assisting in building the country. This is so immoral, calling to protect dirty people. God will never forgive you. This is very haraam [forbidden], we are Muslims and we can never be proud of your gay shit. You need to go and see psychiatrists and not start a magazine. Shame on you.’

‘Sabrine’ messaged him to say: ‘How could you be so impolite to do this, you belong to a Muslim society. Don’t you know that these things upset God? You’re so sinful and this one of the signs to the end of time. Fucking bitches.’

And Aymen posted on the Gayday magazine Facebook page: ‘You’re dead; don’t come to Tunisia you faggot. Even hell is disgusted to have you!’

There were, however, a few positive comments. One read: ‘I saw the link on Facebook and I was very happy to see the coming out of this magazine. I salute you for challenging and bypassing all the taboos and homophobic prejudices. It’s really a shame to see such a narrow mentality. Anyway, congratulations and good luck.’

Human Rights minister excludes gays

Samir El-Wafi continued his homophobic attack when he hosted Minister of Human Rights and Transitional Justice, Samir Dilou, on his TV show on 4 February.

Dilou told El-Wafi he’s against having such a magazine in Tunisia: ‘This country has its own history, heritage, religion and customs and we need to deal with everything on such a basis.’

El-Wafi asked: ‘We can’t deny that this phenomenon of sexual perversion exists but shall we deny these people from expression mediums?’

And Dilou responded: ‘Yes, freedom of expression has limits.

‘They live as citizens but they must respect the red lines set up by our religion, heritage and civilization.’

When asked if the magazine should be banned, the minister said: ‘I have no knowledge if this magazine have applied for a permit or not but I’m against it even though I’m a minister of human rights.’

They concluded laughing that sexual orientation is not a human right and ‘sexual perversion needs to be treated medically’.

Fadi said: ‘The situation for LGBT people remains hostile in the shadow of all this exaggerated expression on homophobia. A friend of mine and I received couple of online death threats that says we deserve to be hanged or burnt in public.

‘It’s never a good time for anyone to come out at this time but I’m glad the subject is slowly breaking through the taboo shell. A lot of work is ahead of us to repeal the 230 Article [which makes gay sex illegal] and establish equality laws for LGBT individuals in Tunisia. Gayday magazine is only a start that I hope it serves as a medium that portrays us a humans, dispels the myths around us and advocates for our rights.’

See the El-Wafi and Dilou interview here (in Arabic):

White has written 28 books including a trilogy of autobiographical novels and biographies of Marcel Proust and Jean Genet, for which he won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

His latest novel, Jack Holmes and his Friend, was published in 2011.

Speaking to Toby Ash, White explains the reasons behind choosing Alan Hollinghurst’s The Folding Star, Jean Genet’s Our Lady of the Flowers, Christohper Isherwood’s A Single Man, EM Forster’s Maurice and Andrew Holleran’s Dancer from the Dance.

Do you still feel as inspired as a writer today as you did, say, a couple of decades ago?

Well, a lot of people have said that Jack Holmes and His Friend is my best book, so I guess I’m still writing at the height of my powers. I teach writing, so I have to constantly think about writing problems.

Is the writing process for you pleasurable or angst-ridden?

It’s both angst-ridden and pleasurable. It is pleasurable to finish, I suppose. It’s always angst-ridden to write, with some stretches of pleasure. But it does seem to me that writing a novel is so precarious. It’s as though you’re carrying a bucket of water up a hill and you’re not quite sure you’re going to make it.

But you always seem to make it. Or are there times you haven’t?

I think I wrote three or four novels before one was published, so I certainly know what it’s like to write something and not have it be successful or accepted. Like every writer I’ve been criticised for some of my work. A couple of my novels are considered real failures.

How do you react to criticism? Do you ignore it or do you take it on board?

Sometimes it serves as a useful corrective. One of the things I have been very criticised for, even in Jack Holmes and His Friend, is being too explicitly sexual. I don’t think I’ve toned that down at all, as it’s something that interests me. But I’m not surprised when critics attack me for it.

Are they critical because it is gay sex? Do you think they would be less critical if it was heterosexual?

I think that in America especially, and in England too, there are a lot of people who are puritanical. They love to tell you that sexual writing is either boring or ludicrous. I think those are two ways of registering shock.

Do you think you would be such a prolific writer – or even a writer at all – if you weren’t gay? I remember you once said that when you were young you wrote about gay themes as a form of therapy.

For sure, in my early writing I felt like I was drowning and that writing was the only way of putting my head above the water, but the water was constantly rising. I think I had so many mental problems when I was young and I was constantly in therapy. That was certainly true for my teenage years and my twenties. I think that after I was 30 things changed a lot and I began to take more pleasure in the craft of writing and see novels as almost problems to be solved – artistic problems rather than psychological ones.

You teach creative writing and have done so for many years. You once said you found teaching in the early years a very useful education for yourself as a novelist. Do you still find that today?

I used to teach literature courses and that was certainly useful to be able to examine how books were put together. Now I only teach creative writing seminars and workshops. It’s instructive in a different way. For one thing, it keeps me in touch with how young people feel and the things they are thinking about and the way they are talking. For another, I’m constantly thinking about the construction of stories and novels. Issues like suspense and tension, characterisation, dialogue, percentages of dialogue to description and so on. All those rather technical issues get discussed in class and I think they are ones that I’m always thinking about and that must be useful for a writer.

So you can never stop building your knowledge.

I think that’s true. Reading established writers and classics is another way. I always hate when writers – often quite famous writers – will say they don’t read fiction and they only read biographies. I think that’s betraying the craft. Even if it was true, I wish they wouldn’t say it. I think that the truth is that you learn a lot from reading other people’s novels, including bad ones.

For the purposes of this interview we are looking at your favourite works of gay fiction. But outside of this genre, what writers have influenced you?

I love Nabokov. I think Lolita is one of the great books of the 20th century. I love Proust a lot. I have written a biography of Proust. I read a lot of poetry too and wrote a biography of Rimbaud.

Do you find yourself slightly pigeonholed as a chronicler of the New York gay scene of the 1970s and 1980s? Are audiences and critics resistant when you write on subjects outside this?

Well, I have tried other things and they have been dismissed or ignored. I wrote a historical novel called Fanny, which was about Frances Wright, a Scottish woman who started a utopian colony in America. The story is narrated by Frances Trollope, the mother of the author, who was herself an interesting, best-selling writer. I thought that was an amusing double portrait, but people didn’t like it. I think they thought, “How dare he write about something outside of his turf”. I wrote another book that was entirely heterosexual called Caracole, and that was really despised.

Who was it despised by? Was it the mainstream media or by gay critics in particular?

I think the mainstream ones. The gay ones just tended to ignore it because they had got the message that it wasn’t of interest to them. Gay bookstores refused to handle it, which was ludicrous because if you had been handling this writer anyway for his other work you’d think you’d want to handle it all. But then you had straight people criticise it because they didn’t quite get it. I mean it was a hard book to get because it was a sort of fantasy book. People didn’t know quite how to categorise it and I think that books that fail are always ones that are between genres or not clearly one thing or another.

Book One
Our Lady of the Flowers

Your first book recommendation is Our Lady of the Flowers by Jean Genet, whose biography you wrote. Before we talk about this particular book, I wonder if you could tell us more about his early life.

Genet was put up for adoption by his mother. He became a child of public welfare. He was taken in by a family who lived in the heart of France, a rather backward area. His [foster] parents were paid a monthly stipend by the state to look after him. As long as his foster mother was alive he got along very well with everybody. But then when she died he kind of went crazy. He was accused of lots of little crimes, of stealing things. But basically he was just filching things, he wasn’t really stealing anything important – erasers and marbles and things like that.

He was very, very bright and he was probably the brightest student in the whole département. Because of his intelligence he wasn’t put out to work at age 13 as a farm worker, the way most foster children were. He was sent to a trade school to learn printing, which was considered a great honour. But he ran away from that school almost immediately and began a life of petty crime. He was arrested many times for things like stealing a signature of a French king at an autograph store or fabric from a department store or doctoring his train ticket so that it looked as if he was eligible for a longer train ride than he’d paid for.

France was very backward in a sense. It was really part of the 19th century until World War II. So just as boys in [Charles] Dickens are punished terribly for very minor crimes, in the same way Genet, who never committed any big crimes, was punished very severely. He even risked being given a life sentence, but his case was pleaded by [Jean] Cocteau who said that Genet was like Rimbaud and you don’t put Rimbaud in prison. And the judge, being French, was convinced by this argument and released him. Then he went into terrible decline because he had always written in prison with the threat of a life sentence over his head and now he was free as a bird and found it hard to write. He became extremely depressed. What he finally did was to change entirely and write for the theatre.

He did write most of Our Lady of the Flowers in prison and it was published first in 1943 during the occupation. It was published very privately in an edition of just 50 copies.

It’s extraordinary that it was published at all during the German occupation.

The Germans were very puritanical and would have certainly persecuted not only the author but also the publisher if they had known about it. But it was printed privately and sold under the counter to rich homosexuals. But Genet wanted a larger audience and he removed quite a few of the pornographic passages from the original edition in order to make it more accessible to the general public.

Can you tell us more about the book itself?

It’s beautifully written. It’s a sumptuous, poetic style, which is true of several of the books on my list. But he certainly was one of the greatest stylists of all time. He earned the attention of some of the leading thinkers of the day. [Jean-Paul] Sartre wrote a whole book about him and so did [Jacques] Derrida. Many other important writers like Cocteau wrote about him and admired him.

He invented in this book the drag queen for all literature who’s called Divine. She – the book calls her “she” even though she’s a man – is a prostitute and has many lovers. The most important is a pimp called Darling Daintyfoot. He brings home one night a very beautiful boy who’s called Our Lady of the Flowers, who is a murderer and who’s about to be executed. The book has several converging timeframes. For instance, Genet is always reminding us that he himself is in prison awaiting sentence. That’s one thread of the book. And then there’s another timeline, which is about the sentencing and execution of Our Lady of the Flowers. So those are different timelines that converge. But there are many characters in the book and there are a lot of sex scenes. It’s a world of the ghetto really. He places his ghetto in Montmartre. If you read it in French there’s an awful lot of thieves’ slang that’s used in the dialogue. The dialogue is very raw but the narration is very elegant and elevated. So there’s a kind of contrast between the two. The dialogue is constantly reminding you that these are criminals and part of the underclass, whereas the narration is always reminding you that you should think of this as something like a tragedy by Rossini.

This book was really a lifesaver for Genet, transporting him from the underclass to the heart of literary Paris.

It’s probably what saved his life. Because he was such a good writer Cocteau discovered him and intervened on his behalf and got him freed from a life sentence. Even the president of France exonerated him. It did change his life entirely. He was somebody who had no talent, only genius. He couldn’t do anything. He didn’t have any skills. He only knew how to write the best prose of the century.

Book Two
A Single Man

Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man is a book I know you are very fond of. You once described it as “the founding text of modern gay literature”. Why do you think this book is so important?

Well I think it’s the opposite of Our Lady of the Flowers in one sense as it’s not metaphorical. The style is extremely chaste and simple. The action of the book takes place in a single day. The reason it’s innovative is that with George – who’s the main character in the book – there’s no ideology given about how he came to be gay or what his childhood was like. Nor is he confined to the ghetto but he’s a respected teacher. He’s an Englishman living in Los Angeles, as Isherwood was himself, and he has lots of straight friends. One of them is a woman called Charley whom he sees during the course of the book. Another straight friend is a student called Kenny whom he sees at the end of the book.

The main story is George trying to survive because his lover Jim has just died in a car accident. In fact, Isherwood’s lover Don Bachardy hadn’t died but gone to England to study at the Slade School of Fine Art.

Yes, I was going to ask you whether the book was Isherwood imagining life without Bachardy?

Exactly. The death in the book really stands for this long departure of Don Bachardy. They were reunited later but there was definitely a difficult moment for Isherwood personally. And so he writes with great feeling about the loss of a lover.

A loss he cannot reconcile himself to.

In a way it’s tragic, but in another way it’s rather peaceful in the way it’s described. The thing you have to remember about Isherwood is that he was a Hindu. He believed in Vedanta and he was a practising Hindu convert. And so, really he believed that the self was not a single thing like a stone in the middle of a peach but something more like an onion, which peeled back endlessly until it disappears. So, the beginning and end of the book show him first rising out of sleep and composing himself as a self and the end shows all those elements dissipating into death. I think this is a Hindu book without the Hinduism. You can really only understand it if you understand Vedanta. But it’s never explicitly brought into the book.

Did you see the film?

Yes, I did. I thought it was too much like a perfume ad. It was too beautiful; the people were shown to be too rich. And there was the introduction – which I thought was ludicrous – of a beautiful male prostitute. That was an episode that didn’t make sense at all. I did think that Julianne Moore who played Charley was really great in this. Also, it was a very good performance by Colin Firth.

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The publicly unidentified man, 30, fell from his balcony on deck 11 of luxury liner Allure of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise liner.

Royal Caribbean International said that the incident, witnessed by a fellow passenger and CCTV footage, showed the man intentionally going overboard.

In a statement, the cruise line said the man had not responded to attempts to contact him in his room: “When the guest did not respond to the pages and was not found on board, the captain alerted the local authorities of the situation.

“A review of the ship’s closed-circuit camera footage observed the 30-year-old British male guest going over the balcony railing in his stateroom on deck 11.

“The location of the ship at the time the guest went overboard was marked on the ship’s Global Positioning System (GPS) and the US and Mexican coastguard were alerted.

“Our care team is providing support to the guest’s family and our thoughts and prayers are with them.”

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are aware that a British national has been reported missing in Mexico.

“His family have been informed and we are providing consular assistance.”

The man reportedly fell at 12.10pm GMT, or 7.10am local time, on Friday of last week.

The ship had been chartered by Atlantis Events.

In November of last year, an American man was jailed for selling drugs on the Allure of the Seas from what the sentencing judge termed an “apothecary” in his cabin.

Steven Krumholz, 51, from California, was found with more than 142 ecstasy pills, methamphetamine, a small amount of ketamine, and about $51,000 (£31,000) in cash.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 months in prison for dealing drugs to fellow passengers on the gay cruise.

The book is one of 849 listed in Amazon’s Christian fundamentalist section.

The e-book‘s synopsis says: “LGBT Going To Hell is a small fundamentalist Christian book that seeks to tell the LGBT community that it is in sin and lives a lifestyle that is against God’s Holy Word the Bible.

“This is not a book to win friends but to call sinners to repentance.”

One American reviewer wrote: “There is no doubt that books like this are part of the reason why so many young LGBT people in USA commit suicide.”

Another wrote: “I have no idea if it is meant to be a serious work, or a satirical look at stereotypical christian attitudes, but either way, its mostly useless.”

The e-book, which costs 77p, begins by commenting on the world’s progress in medicine, science and technology, but condemns its fall into an “evil pit of violence, green, sexual immorality and paganism”.

PinkNews.co.uk has approached Amazon for comment.

At the end of last year, Amazon pulled a calendar by ‘Christian cartoonist’ Joe King.

I’m Not Gay, I’m Just a Sissy: 12 Months of Sexual Confusion, included jokes about AIDS and effeminacy in gay men.

While some questioned whether the cartoons were genuine satire not designed to cause offence, King took to his own Facebook page to rant about the gays who complained adding that it was not the first time he had been banned.

He said: “Hoo-we! Hell hath no fury like a he/she scorned…”

He added that AIDS was an “elective disease” which would stop “the day guys quit sticking it to each other. And for the tragedy of women and children infected… THAT stops the day their gay husbands and fathers stop cheating on them. Anyone need MORE education, science or funding to understand THAT?”

In 2009, Amazon apologised after a cataloguing glitch meant many important gay works were mislabeled as ‘adult’ products.

I grew up in a traditional Jewish family in Crown Heights. I love my mother, my father and my family. I had always felt different and was the subject of relentless bullying by other boys for “seeming” gay. When I was 17 I confided to a friend that I was attracted to men and not sexually attracted to women at all. When it came out, I was thrown out of yeshiva (Jewish religious school). For the longest time I felt so alone because I truly believed that I was the only person battling this secret war. My older siblings were getting married and having kids, and all I ever wanted was to be a part of the beautiful world my parents had raised me in. My dream was to marry a woman and live the life my family hoped and dreamed for me. I would never have chosen to be gay; I could not imagine anyone growing up in the Orthodox world who would choose to be someone who doesn’t fit into the values and norms of everyone around them.

So do I think that I was “born gay”? I don’t know and I am not sure how important that is. What is important is that it certainly is not something that I chose or had anything to do with. And I felt immense pressure to somehow change who I was.

After much time and research I found a well-known organisation that “specialised” in reparative therapy. This organisation had endorsements from a wide range of rabbis and I was sure that it was the answer to all my problems. The organisation’s executive director told me that he believes everyone can change if they simply put in the hard work. I would have done anything to change, and this message was just the hope I was looking for. I spent two years attending every group meeting, weekend, and individual life coaching sessions they offered. My parents and I paid thousands of dollars. Every day, every session, I was working and waiting to feel a shift in my desires or experience authentic change. That moment never came. I didn’t change, I never developed any sexual desire for women, and never stopped being attracted to men. Instead, I only felt more and more helpless because I wasn’t changing. The organisation and its staff taught us that change only comes to those who truly want it and are willing to put in the work. So if I wasn’t changing, I was seen as someone who either really didn’t sincerely want it, or would not put in the necessary work. In other words, there was no one to blame but myself.

The worst part of my experience in reparative therapy came at the end. In a locked office, alone with my unlicensed ‘life coach’, who said he was an ‘ex-gay man’ I was told to undress, stand in front of the counsellor and do things too graphic to describe in this article. I was extremely uncomfortable, but he said that I must do this for the sake of changing and that if I didn’t remove my clothing I wouldn’t be doing the work it takes to achieve change. I would do anything to change, and so I did what he asked me to do. It was probably the most traumatising experience of my life.

I tried to tell people what happened, but the organisation said it wasn’t true and refused to fire the life coach. But I have spoken to other men who all underwent the same experience. And I can only imagine how many other young men who this has happened to who have not yet come forward. One of the most frustrating aspects was that because this coach is not licensed by any professional board, he is unaccountable to any licensing committee. Since I was over eighteen and agreed to this kind of therapy, I am told that I have no legal recourse. But I do have my voice! Yet, even after coming forward with what happened, nothing has changed. I often hear that this therapy has helped people, that it is wonderful, but I wonder, how helpful can an organisation be when it causes great suffering and pain to many who come to them for hope.

The recent Torah Declaration, signed by so many rabbis, only serves to perpetuate the notion that all homosexuals in the Orthodox community must change in reparative therapy. Unlike the helpful recent RCA statement on welcoming homosexuals or the “Statement of Principles” written and signed by over 200 responsible rabbis, the Torah Declaration does not demand that therapists must be board licensed. Unlike these other statements, it does not allow those for whom this kind of therapy is harmful or not working to seek other options. It kills me that this Torah Declaration will be used by parents to force their children into therapies that may be harmful to them. It frightens me that this Torah Declaration says that “change is mandated by the Torah,” when I know personally that change therapy has not worked and was so harmful for me. It hurts me to know that I am now being blamed by these rabbis and therapists for this failed therapy.

It confuses me that this Torah Declaration contains so many flawed arguments. Saying that God would never make a gay person unable to change is simplistic, inconsistent and flat-out wrong. If someone gets into an accident we would never say that we know he can be “cured” simply because his affliction is not genetic and he wasn’t born this way. We would never tell a deaf person (born deaf or not) that his ‘test’ is to find a way to hear again, so that he can be observe the positive commandment of hearing the shofar (horn) in the synagogue at new year? Yet the Torah Declaration uses all of these arguments to make gay people feel that their ‘test’ from God in life is to change their sexuality, simply because it may not be genetic and God would never make it unchangeable. This is the worst kind of rationalised homophobia.

I know first hand how this kind of societal bullying can lead to self-harm and suicide. I know of too many young men who have been pressured to stay in these kinds of therapies only to be tormented to point of taking their own lives. No one can bring these boys back. However, there are many Orthodox rabbis, religious therapists and organisations that remind us we are loved and that we belong. In the darkness of my days, a grass roots support community organisation in New York called JQY saved my life. JQY is a group of over five hundred young Jews who grew up in the religious community. Their goal is to combat shame, bullying and ostracising, while making families, religious schools and communities safe and welcoming to their gay members. They do not advocate for any change in religious law, but rather assert that one can believe that certain behaviours are technically prohibited and still be a happy, healthy and fulfilled person.

In JQY the right path for an individual is unique for each person. There are some members of JQY who are trying to change their orientation and many like me, who have tried for years and have discovered that it is not possible for them. We are all just trying to be the best that we can be. We learn from each other and are there for each other because we know how hard it is to be gay in a religious family. JQY is my logical family. We have support meetings, crisis resources, festival get togethers and sabbath meals where we know it is safe to be ourselves.

I now have a sense of pride about who I am. However, I understand the concept of “pride” as combating the years of self-shame and instead promoting a sense of personal self worth. Pride is not a celebration of any personal behaviour or desire. Nowhere in my story do I ever mention prohibited behaviours. I know that “being gay” does not express anything about personal intimate behaviour; it merely expresses an orientation. I adhere to the religious concepts of modesty, which demands that intimate behaviour stays private and discrete, and has no place in the public forum. In fact I do not know any gay person from a religious background who doesn’t believe the same way.

This is not an appeal to change religious law or anyone’s political views. This is not a push for gay marriage or any legitimising of gay marriage within the orthodox Jewish community. I am simply asking my community not to judge and not to pressure someone to participate in a program or therapy which causes harm. Just because someone is honest about being gay, does not mean that he engages in anything wrong. No one should feel silenced or asked to lie about who they are. Abuse and cruelty should never be tolerated or ignored. A little humility goes a long way. Sometimes the kindest and most thoughtful response when it comes to very difficult situations is, “I don’t know, but I’m here for you because you are part of my family and community.”

This comment has been adapted from an article first published in the Jewish Free Press by the author. Chaim blogs at http://gottagivemhope.blogspot.com/ and tweets at @chaim89

PinkNews.co.uk’s founder Benjamin Cohen recently recorded an It Gets Better Video to explain that it gets better to be Jewish and Gay and that gay cures don’t work.

Professor Zhang Bei-chuan of Qingdao University says the huge number of women – equivalent to the population of the Netherlands – who have tied the knot with gay men are struggling to cope.

Speaking to state-run China Daily, the academic said as many as 90% of gay Chinese men marry to conform with social norms.

As of 2010, China had a population of more than 1.3 billion.

According to Professor Zhang Bei-chuan’s estimate, roughly 3% of the country’s adult population is in a gay-straight marriage.

The potentially damaging effect of such marriages was highlighted by 29-year-old Xiao Yao, who was married to a gay man and now runs a support website for wives in similar situations.

She said: “Most gay men’s wives I’ve known are silently suffering at the hands of husbands who could never love them, and like me, some even got abused by husbands who were also under great pressure.

“The website makes them feel they’re not alone and empowers them to make the right choices.”

The number was queried by one of the gay men questioned by the paper, but others said they would consider marrying a woman.

Wang, 27, told the publication he would consider marrying a lesbian if he were forced to wed a woman.

Xiao Dong, a gay man involved in HIV/AIDS prevention efforts, said it was an “unsubstantiated” and “pointless” investigation.

Homosexuality was decriminalised in the People’s Republic in 1997 and its status as a mental disorder revoked in 2001, but legal protection for gays is minimal with no non-discrimination or equal marriage rights and strong censorship rules.

Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, had been suspended from his position after he signed a document alleging homosexuality could be “modified and healed”.

Now, Dutch news agency ANP reports he has been reinstated after flying from New York to discuss his action with the NIHS (Nederlands-Israelietische HoofdSynagogue) in the Dutch capital.

The Amsterdam community had objected to Rabbi Ralbag using his title on signing up to the Torah Declaration.

In a statement, the NIHS had said: “Rabbi Ralbag’s signature may give the impression the Orthodox Jewish community of Amsterdam shares his view.

“This is absolutely untrue. Homosexuals are welcome at the Amsterdam Jewish community.”

Previously, the chief rabbi reportedly told a Dutch newspaper he felt it would be safer to stay away from the Netherlands, saying: “Why would I risk the life of my wife and me?”

At the time of his suspension, Rabbi Ralbag had said: “I do not believe that I have to apologize to anyone for my Torah-based beliefs; nevertheless, I sincerely regret and apologize to anyone pained by the inaccurate portrayal of my views.”

Discussing wider approaches to homosexuality in Judaism, Rabbi Yitzchak Schochet of London’s Mill Hill United Synagogue writes in PinkNews.co.uk today: “Chief Rabbi Ralbag should not be relieved of his position for taking a religious stance on a traditional biblical position. That’s plain ludicrous. However, his sensitivity, and by extension his ability to reach out to his wider constituency, in endorsing a controversial statement regarding homosexuals, must surely be called into question.”

The Declaration in question says the idea that God created “a human being who is unable to find happiness in a loving relationship unless he violates a biblical prohibition is neither plausible nor acceptable”.

It continues: “We must create an atmosphere where this teenager (or anyone) can speak freely to a parent, rabbi, or mentor and be treated with love and compassion. Authority figures can then guide same-sex strugglers towards a path of healing and overcoming their inclinations.

“The key point to remember is that these individuals are primarily innocent victims of childhood emotional wounds. They deserve our full love, support and encouragement in their striving towards healing.”

The Conference of European Rabbis reportedly issued a statement saying: “The Amsterdam kehilla is known the world over for its proud commitment to its traditions.

“We are pleased it has decided to address any issues relating to the articulation by its Chief Rabbi or other officially appointed Rabbinic figures of traditional, halachic positions, in a positive and consultative manner.”

ANP reported that uncertainty remains over having a US-based chief rabbi for the Amsterdam community.

But the GLAAD petition, which has 22,500 signatures today, also aims to highlight the lack of protection gay and transgender people face in the workplace in most of the states.

The website OneMillionMoms.com, a project of the American Family Assocation, had asked readers to call the retailer and demand she be replaced with a straight face.

The website said: “Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families.

“More sales will be lost than gained unless they replace their spokesperson quickly.

“DeGeneres is not a true representation of the type of families that shop at their store. The majority of JC Penney shoppers will be offended and choose to no longer shop there.”

In response, GLAAD set up the Stand Up for Ellen petition to thank the retailer for hiring the gay TV star and to raise awareness that in most US states, it is legal to fire gay employees on the basis of their sexuality.

Herndon Graddick, GLAAD’s senior director of programs and communications “Since Ellen came out 15 years ago, the nation has evolved and support for LGBT people is at an all-time high.

“Although it is still legal to fire someone for being gay in 29 states, Americans are fair-minded people who know that firing someone just for being gay is not what this country is about.

“J.C. Penney is standing with Ellen and so do we.”

GLAAD also points out for transgender people, the figure is worse: In 34 states a person can be fired for being trans.

The Los Angeles Times ran a reader poll which showed 96% support for keeping Ellen as the face of JC Penney.

Ellen’s name was called into question last month. Australian radio host Jackie O, whose middle name is also Ellen, told listeners it now “sounds a bit lez”.

Govenor Christine Gregoire said: “As governor, I believe the state of Washington cannot be in the business of discrimination. As an American, a wife and mother, marriage equality is fair, just, and right. And it is time.”

Washington’s state senate approved a bill last night to give equal marriage rights to gay citizens, 28-21.

The lifting of the gay marriage ban is now almost certain to pass as it heads to the state’s House of Representatives, where it is not expected to encounter majority opposition.

(iPhone users may need to click here to view the video)

Home-schooled Sarah Crank told lawmakers it “would be the best birthday present ever if you would vote no on gay marriage”, the political blog ThinkProgress reports.

Maryland’s Democratic Governor Martin O’Malley introduced a bill last week which, if successful, would lift the ban on gay marriage in the US state of Maryland.

14-year-old Sarah told the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee: “I really feel bad for the kids who have two parents of the same gender. Even though some kids feel like it’s fine, they have no idea what kind of wonderful experiences they miss out on.

“I don’t want any more kids to get confused about what’s right and OK.

“I really don’t want to grow up in a world where marriage isn’t such a special thing any more. It’s rather scary to think that when I grow up the legislator or the court can change the definition of any word they want.

“If they can change the definition of marriage, then they could change the definition of any word.

“People have the choice to be gay, but I don’t want to be affected by their choice. People say they were just born that way, but I’ve met really nice adults who did change. So please vote ‘no’ on gay marriage.”

After being thanked for her testimony, the girl is asked where she is schooled. She replies that she is home-schooled.

When the recording began to draw attention on the blog, Crank’s mother waded in personally to support her child’s speech in the comments section, saying Sarah “and many others are affected by the one way tolerance that gays expect but won’t extend to others”.

She insisted her daughter wrote the speech herself and told one commenter “Your ill wishes toward her are the perfect example of the one way tolerance that is the norm.”

An attempt in 2011 to lift the gay marriage ban failed to pass through the state legislature.

Conversely, attempts to introduce a constitutional ban on gay marriage have also failed.

Last night, Washington’s state senate voted in favour of equal marriage rights for gays, making the passage of the law there a near-certainty.

Listen to the recording of Sarah Crank’s testimony below:

Jonathan Simcox and Steven Ondo of Ohio told Cleveland’s FOX8 network they were suing police officers for use of “excessive force and undisguised prejudice” during their arrest.

Simcox and Ondo said they had been making their way home in April 2011 when they began arguing in the street.

An off-duty police officer who lived on the road then told them to cease disturbing the peace.

Simcox told FOX8: “He came out over shouting, saying, ‘Shut up, you’re disturbing the peace’.”

“I pushed to get past him, as soon as I did that he knocked me on the ground, and just started beating me, hitting me, standing over top of me, and punching me repeatedly.”

The couple was arrested and released. A week later, they say police arrived at their home late at night to detain them on assault charges relating to that incident.

The gay men say at the time they were only wearing t-shirts and underwear.

Simcox’s brother, who was present at the scene, asked if he could bring their clothes was allegedly told: “You can go get them shoes, but faggots don’t deserve to wear pants in jail.”

The couple say it was a day before they were reunited with their trousers, and they went on to be cleared of the assault charge.

Cleveland authorities said the couple’s civil lawsuit, which claims their constitutional rights were infringed, would be addressed in the US District Court.

The protest was good-natured and polite, with around 40 members and supporters of the UK’s trans community giving out leaflets, displaying placards and engaging embassy staff in good natured debate.

Nonetheless, protesters were clear that the issue is serious and will not go away.

The dispute arises from the fact that under Swedish law, dating back to 1972, trans individuals may not obtain recognition in their identified gender unless they first undergo sterilisation. In many instances – MtF gender re-assignment, for instance – this will be the natural outcome of surgery anyway. But there are other circumstances – FtM re-assignment, for instance, where this is not the case.

Not only does this run counter to what is now accepted practice in a number of countries, including Portugal, the UK and Spain, but Sweden also sets an additional requirement: the destruction of any biological reproductive material, including sperm and eggs, which could later be used in IVF procedures. It is an approach that has been condemned by Thomas Hammarberg, the commissioner for human rights of the Council of Europe, who has said that such a requirement “clearly runs against principles of human rights and human dignity”.

Outrage is all the fiercer, as it is understood that there is a majority in the Swedish parliament in favour of abandoning this stance…but that moves to do so have been blocked by Sweden’s prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt in order to retain the support of minority right-wing elements within the governing coalition. This claim has, however, been explicitly denied by Minister Erik Ullenhag.

Giving support to the demonstration was internationally acclaimed gender variant visual artist/activist/educator, Del LaGrace Volcano, who said: “It has taken more than a decade for the mainstream lesbian and gay community in Sweden, represented by RFSL, to wake up to this issue, but THEY are now finally making some headway.

“My feeling is that a new, younger – and more militant – component within Sweden’s trans community are emerging: in the past, many tended to self-pathologise. This generation refuses to do so – and are determined to stand up for their rights as human beings.”

The Swedish ambassador was unavailable for comment at this time – but may do so at a later date.

Openly gay Zoliswa Nkonyana, 19, was stabbed and stoned in the homophobic attack in Khayelitsha on 4 February 2006.

A total of nine men had been arrested, but Lubabalo Ntlabathi, Sicelo Mase, Luyanda Londzi and Mbulelo Damba were found guilty of the murder in October 2011.

The case was reportedly postponed more than 50 times. Sentencing was initially expected before Christmas.

The murdered woman’s stepfather Mr Mandini told South Africa’s Sowetan newspaper: “They did not accept responsibility for what they did and we are happy that when we asked for a lengthy jail term, the magistrate agreed to that.”

The Social Justice Coalition issued a statement last night on the conviction, highlighting what it called “consistent failures” of the police and justice system in the six-year case.

“Over the past six years, a number of Khayelitsha-based civil society organisations including the Social Justice Coalition, Treatment Action Campaign, Free Gender, Triangle Project and Sonke Gender Justice have attended Nkonyana’s court dates, monitored progress, spoken to prosecutors and tried to assist her family in finding justice.

“It is unlikely that this case would have concluded without the constant support and pressure from these organisations. We have held countless protests outside the Khayelitsha Magistrate’s Court and raised awareness in the media regarding this case.”

The Coalition concluded: “Today we remember Zoliswa and thousands of other people who have been needlessly murdered – many of whom have then had justice denied. We wish Nkonyana’s family well and hope they will be able to move forward from this trauma.

“However, we cannot forget the larger context. Unless changes are made and the police and criminal justice system improve, families will continue to suffer as the cases of their loved ones drag painfully through the system.”

The lifting of the gay marriage ban is now almost certain to pass as it heads to the state’s House of Representatives, where it is not expected to encounter majority opposition.

Governor Christine Gregoire could sign the bill into law as soon as next week to make Washington the seventh state in the union to allow gay couples to marry.

Last week, Mary Margaret Haugen, a Democratic state senator representing Camano Island, became the 25th senator needed to back the move to allow gays equal marriage rights.

At the vote, 28 state senators came out in favour of the move, four of whom were Republicans.

In favour of keeping the ban were 18 Republicans and three Democrats.

Senator Ed Murray, a gay Democrat representing Seattle and sponsor of the bill said supporters were “patriots who are trying to do what is best for our country” and extended all senators an invitation to his wedding, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Opponents may still force a state-wide ballot in July if the legislation is successfully passed in both houses if they can garner enough support in a petition: 120,577 by the beginning of July.

Before the state legislature’s session began this year, Governor Gregoire announced her support for the move at the capital, Olympia.

She told a press conference: “It is time in Washington state for marriage equality. It’s the right thing to do.”

“Our gay and lesbian families face the same hurdles as heterosexual families: making ends meet, choosing what school to send their kids to, finding someone to grow old with, standing in front of friends and family and making a lifetime commitment.

“For all couples, a state marriage license is very important. It gives them the right to enter into a marriage contract in which their legal interests, and those of their children if any, are protected by well-established civil law.”

Coffee giant Starbucks has been among multi-nationals based in Washington state to back the draft legislation.

A statement from the Seattle-based hot drink titan says it was “proud” to join other Washington-based employers like Microsoft and Nike as support for equal marriage brews in the state.

Earlier this month, Microsoft, which has supported equal rights for gays in the state before, added its voice to those supporting the legislation, saying: “Microsoft’s greatest asset is a talented workforce as diverse as our customers. As other states recognize marriage equality, Washington’s employers are at a disadvantage if we cannot offer a similar, equitable and inclusive environment to our talented employees, our top recruits and their families.

“This legislation would put Washington employers on equal footing with employers in the six other states that already recognize the committed relationships of same-sex couples.

“Passing the bill would be good for our business and for the state’s economy.”

Gábor Vona was referring to his country’s successful bid to host the gay EuroGames, which were held in the Netherlands last year.

According to Hungarian news sources, Vona told an audience this week: “God is my witness, it’s not some kind of homophobia but merely common decency that makes me say that this really is the end of the world.”

Vona, 33, co-founded the right-wing Jobbik party in 2003.

Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom (Movement for a Better Hungary) now has 46 of the 386 seats in Hungary’s National Assembly, or 12%, and three MEPs.

Budapest’s EuroGames events will be held in the last days of June this year, ahead of the London Olympics, with 3,800 athletes taking part in nearly 20 sports.

The organisers said the event would aim to “improve the reputation of Hungary as an open minded country”.

Vona’s comments bear some similarity to those made by the Pope last month when he said gay marriage could threaten the “future of humanity”.

According to Reuters, the pontiff said “pride of place goes to the family, based on the marriage of a man and a woman” when discussing appropriate “settings” for children.

Of straight marriage, he said: “This is not a simple social convention, but rather the fundamental cell of every society.

“Consequently, policies which undermine the family threaten human dignity and the future of humanity itself.”

The Lithuania Gay League reports that the man, 37, was handed down a fine of 1560 Lithuanian litas after they alerted authorities to his post.

He had commented under an article on Facebook about Lady Gaga’s criticism of the Lithuanian Government.

He wrote: “What we need is another Hitler to exterminate those fags ‘cause there’s just too many of them multiplying.”

According to Lithuanian-language Delfi.lt, the First District Court of Vilnius City found he had employed inflammatory rhetoric and encouraged mockery, defiance, discrimination and physical violence against a group of people or its members on the grounds of sexual orientation.

Section 170 (3) of Lithuania’s penal code expressly criminalises the public incitements to violence against gay and transgender minorities.

Vladimir Simonko of the Lithuanian Gay League told PinkNews.co.uk: “The complaint filed by LGL was a result of its regular monitoring of the media for hate speech. The good expert practices of the Equal Opportunities Ombudsman also contributed to this result. We are optimistic that the court decision will serve as an example to reduce such rhetoric in the future.”

The author of the comment admitted publishing the comment on Facebook, but argued it was only his own personal view: “It was not my intention to call for violence against gays and I feel sorry for what was written – I did not expect that this comment would insult anyone in the public domain.”

Vilnius City hosted Lithuania’s first gay pride march in 2010. It had been banned by authorities citing security concerns before being allowed to go ahead.

Marina Yannakoudakis, who represents London in Strasbourg, called for an immediate moratorium on arrests today.

Her concern was echoed by the European Parliament’s Intergroup on LGBT rights after reports emerged that two men, one of whom is reported to be Nigerian, were arrested on 29 January.

Northern Cyprus declared itself an independent state in 1983 but has not had international recognition.

It currently criminalises gay sexual acts under section 171 and 173 of its criminal code.

Northern Cyprus is not a member of the EU and not bound by the European Convention on Human Rights.

In December, Ms Yannakoudakis had praised Derviş Eroğlu for “agreeing to decriminalise homosexuality [...] taking concrete measures to ensure those living in the north part of Cyprus may enjoy the same human rights as their fellow Europeans”.

But the MEP said today: “Dr. Eroğlu has twice promised me that the northern part of Cyprus would repeal the ban on homosexuality. I have so far taken him at his word, but now he needs to back up these words with deeds.

“There must be an immediate moratorium on arrests under Section 171 and the men arrested last month must be released without delay. Draft legislation submitted by the Communal Democratic Party must be fast-tracked through the assembly to ensure that there are no further miscarriages of justice and Dr. Eroğlu must keep his promise to sign the repeal into law.”

Ms Yannakoudakis had previously visited the divided city of Nicosia after three men were arrested on “suspicion of conspiring to have a sexual intercourse against the order of nature”.

The latest arrests are said to be the third time in eight months the law has been used to arrest gays.

Eleni Theocharous MEP, a Cypriot member of the LGBT Intergroup, commented: “The prosecution of citizens based solely on their sexual preference constitutes a vulgar violation of elementary human rights. I call upon the regime subordinate to Turkey in the occupied area of Cyprus to immediately release the two men and desist from any legal action against them.”

She added: “I call upon the European Parliament and the international community to exert pressure on Turkey for the solution of the Cyprus problem, so that the EU’s ‘acquis communautaire’ is consequently implemented throughout Cyprus”

Michael Cashman MEP, Co-president of the LGBT Intergroup, said: “The current Criminal Code wrecks lives, and Derviş Eroğlu’s promise must be followed by steadfast action. I will personally go to Cyprus in order to meet him, other leaders and NGOs, and encourage repealing this outdated piece of legislation which has no place in Europe—or anywhere in the world.”

Ms Yannakoudakis continued: “I am also concerned about the manner in which these arrests were reported in ‘Kıbrıs’, the leading Turkish-language newspaper in Cyprus. The newspaper released the names and even pictures of the two men concerned and reported the arrest in an extremely derogatory tone.

“It is important not only to change the laws in the north part of Cyprus, but to change attitudes to ensure that all Cypriot adults may engage in consensual sex – be it with the same or different gender – without fear of punishment or pillory.”