2Bmag online

“During the later stages of the Bill there will be amendments tabled to end the legal ban on opposite-sex civil partnerships. Denying heterosexual couples the right to have a civil partnership is just as offensive as the prohibition on same-sex marriage. We stand for full equality, not the gay-only equality offered by this Bill. James [...]

Almost 100 people turned out for LGBT Pride in Entebbe, Uganda, with only three arrests reported last weekend. A first-hand report by The New Yorker’s Alexis Okeowo reveals their hope and bravery against all odds.

Australian trampolinist and silver medal winner at the Sydney Olympics, Ji Wallace has come out as HIV positive via a letter to the Star Observer newspaper today. Wallace made the announcement while in London as a spectator at the Olympic Games.

Russian punk rockers Pussy Riot are in the midst of a show trial in Moscow that harkens back to the old Soviet days. Only this time, instead of being imprisoned for merely opposing the state, three women stand charged with “hooliganism” based on religious hatred. Student strike mascot Anarchopanda will host a demo in Montréal in support of the jailed band-members this Thurs. Aug 2 at 6:30pm.

The build-up to this year’s EuroCup soccer championship shone an unexpected spotlight on the darker side of its host nation, the Ukraine. Along with co-host Poland and its onetime ruler, Russia, the former Soviet state has never been known for its tolerance towards LGBTs, but this time the rise of neo-Nazism and religious homophobia stood in bold relief…

Things are heating up in advance of the We Can End AIDS march in Washington, DC July 23. The march for anticipates over 30,000 will march tomorrow, along with HIV Prevention Justice Alliance, and Canada’s AIDS ACTION NOW! Which staged another banner intervention in front of the Canadian booth at the convention centre.

Taking their cue from a famous ACT-UP! public intervention in 1988, members of Canada’s AIDS ACTION NOW! unfurled a banner that read “CLEAN NEEDLES STOPS AIDS” at a Nationals Baseball game in Washington, DC Friday night July 20. Two days earlier, 8 activists were arrested for hoisting a banner near the US Capitol building also promoting harm reduction.

Chile’s president, Sebastian Piñera signed an anti-discrimination bill into law yesterday (July 12) that would apply fines to anyone convicted. Originally presented to the Latin American country’s Congress 7 years ago, the passage of the law was prompted by the brutal gay-bashing and murder of 24 yr/old Daniel Zamudio, in March.

After seven years under consideration by the US Federal Drug Administration (FDA), at-home HIV saliva test, OraQuick, has been approved for distribution in over 30,000 US pharmacies. AIDS researchers and activists in Canada largely support Health Canada approving at-home tests here, but some remain wary…

In a last minute move, the Ukrainian parliament cancelled Friday’s scheduled vote on legislation that would ban any Ukrainian citizen from speaking out favourably about gays or lesbians, All Out reports. Human rights defenders and many European officials condemned the proposed law “for its potentially chilling effect on freedom of speech and expression for millions of Ukrainians.”