UK appoints out gay ambassador to Cambodia
The UK has appointed an openly gay man as ambassador to Cambodia. Mark Gooding, who is in a civil partnership with education specialist Dr Christopher McCormick, will take up his new post in September....
View ArticleForeign Office human rights minister praises ‘Illegal to be you’ video campaign
Jeremy Browne, the Foreign Office minister for human rights has praised a new viral video imagining a world in personal traits like hair colour or height were criminalised in the same way as...
View ArticleUganda: British producer of gay play deported from country
UK theatre producer David Cecil, who was charged with breaking Uganda’s laws in relation to his play featuring a gay storyline has been deported from the country. Mr Cecil appeared in court last...
View ArticleUK: 22 cases of LGBT people made to enter into forced marriages in 2012
Figures from the government’s Forced Marriage Unit show there were 22 cases of forced marriage involving victims who identified themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender last year. However,...
View ArticleForeign Office: The UK is extremely concerned over the continual persecution...
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has told PinkNews.co.uk that it’s alarmed by the “growing restrictions on LGBT freedoms in Russia”. On Friday, an FCO spokesperson said to PinkNews.co.uk:...
View ArticleWilliam Hague: ‘Britain must stick to its values and not retreat on issues...
Foreign Secretary William Hague has spoken out against anti-gay laws in Russia to say that Britain’s foreign policy must have “a conscience”, and that it is in the nature of Britain to “stand up for...
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Baroness Warsi to give LGBT rights lecture on World Human Rights Day
Foreign Office Minister Baroness Warsi is set to give a key note speech on LGBT rights as part of next week’s World Human Rights Day. Baroness Warsi, who is the Senior Minister of State at the Foreign...
View ArticleUK Government: India’s Supreme Court ruling against gay sex is a ‘matter for...
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office has issued a short response to the decision of India’s highest court to criminalise gay sex. In a statement to PinkNews.co.uk an FCO spokesperson said: “The...
View ArticleUK Government: Nigeria’s anti-gay law infringes upon fundamental human rights
The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has criticised Nigeria for banning same-sex marriages and for further criminalising homosexuality. An FCO spokesperson told PinkNews.co.uk: “The Nigerian...
View ArticleForeign Office: India recriminalising homosexuality was ‘unexpected’
A report from the Foreign Office says India’s recriminalisation of homosexuality was ‘unexpected’. In December, India’s Supreme Court opted to reinstate Section 377 of the Penal Code, a colonial-era...
View ArticleAnti-homophobia Tory Hugh Robertson resigns as Foreign Office Minister in...
A vocal opponent of homophobia in sport MP Hugh Robertson, has resigned as a Foreign Office minister in tonight’s Government reshuffle. Mr Robertson, the MP for Faversham and Mid Kent, and former...
View ArticleComment: The UK Government must stand up for LGBT Ugandans
Shadow Foreign Minister Kerry McCarthy has written to the UK’s Minister for Africa, James Duddridge, urging for a stronger stance against the Ugandan Government’s support for anti-gay laws. The news...
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Foreign Office condemns ISIS gay executions
The Foreign Office has released a statement condemning the executions by ISIS of men believed to be gay. WARNING: The content and imagery within this article is extremely disturbing. Yesterday, Islamic...
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Prime Minister: Commonwealth must ‘narrow its divisions’ on LGBT rights
Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear to Commonwealth leaders that a “divide” on LGBT issues must be narrowed, the government says. 40 of the 53 Commonwealth member states continue to criminalise...
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Human Rights Minister: ‘Staying in the EU magnifies our voice on LGBT rights’
PinkNews Exclusive On the International Day against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister for Human Rights, Baroness Anelay, has spoken to PinkNews about how...
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Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson lifts ban on embassies flying rainbow flags...
In one of his first acts as Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson has scrapped a controversial ban on Pride flags being flown from UK embassies and consulates around the world. Foreign Secretary Philip...
View ArticleForeign Office warns gay tourists about dangers of Grindr abroad
The UK Foreign Office has updated its guidance for LGBT tourists to warn about the dangers of using Grindr abroad. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office initially published its travel advice for Lesbian,...
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British government calls for urgent investigation into ‘abhorrent’ gay purge...
The UK has joined the US in calling for an urgent investigation into reports that authorities in Chechnya are “purging” the gay community. Reports emerged last week that gay people are being targeted...
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British government calls abuse of gay men in Chechnya ‘utterly barbaric’
Britain’s deputy Foreign Secretary has condemned the abuse of gay men in Chechnya in an urgent question to parliament. Sir Alan Duncan, the gay deputy to Boris Johnson, labelled the reported abuses as...
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Shocking documents tell the inside story of British government’s homophobic...
Historic Foreign Office documents have cast a light on the homophobic policies that banned gay people from openly serving. A paper released today by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office sheds light on...
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