Muslim Communities Thwart Indonesian Protections For Gays
(Jakarta) A decision by the Indonesian government to allow areas of the country semi-autonomous power is having a devastating effect on the country's gays a leading local newspaper reports.

AIDS Advocacy Groups To Launch HIV Aging Program
(New York City) Four major HIV/AIDS groups announced Tuesday they will launch an initiative that will meet the needs of people over the age of 50.

Scottish Gay Unions Growing
(Edinburgh) Civil partnerships got off to a slow start when they became legal in Scotland last December but gay and lesbian couples now appear to be making up for lost time.

Foley Finally Comes Out, Claims He Was Molested 
(West Palm Beach, Florida) Former Florida Congressman Mark Foley at the center of a child abuse scandal finally acknowledged Tuesday that he is gay. 

Canadian Gov't Hires Former Focus On The Family Leader
(Ontario) Outspoken social conservative Darrel Reid is under the gun from federal Liberals who say his views on gay marriage, Muslims and Quebec social mores make him unfit to be chief of staff to a Conservative minister.

Palm Beach County To Reduce Cost Of Gay Partner Benefits
(West Palm Beach, Florida)  The Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners has unanimously voted to reduce health insurance premiums charged to County employees with domestic partners.

Gay Youth Group Calls For 'Full Disclosure' Of Foley Affair 
(Washington) A national organization the fights for the rights of LGBT youth is calling for a full investigation of former Congressman Mark Foley's email and text messages to Capitol Hill pages.

Irish High Court Hears Marriage Equality Case
(Dublin) Ireland's highest court was told on Tuesday that the government cannot use "protecting morality" as an excuse for denying same-sex couples the right to marry.

Gay School Sup't Accuses Board Of Trying To Push Him Out
(Chicago, Illinois) A suburban Chicago school superintendent says the Board of Education is trying to fire him because he is gay. 

I'm Not A Homophobe' Reggae Singer Says
(New York City) Jamaican reggae artists Buju Banton is accusing gay activists of trying to sabotage his career. 

Gay Marriage Ruling Changes Nothing R.I. Attorney General Says
(Providence, Rhode Island) Despite last week's court ruling that allows same-sex couples from Rhode Island to marry in Massachusetts gay and lesbian couples who wed will not have their marriages recognized at home Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch says.

Churches Demand Fiji Abolish Gay Protections
(Suva) Leaders of 20 denominations in Fiji are demanding the repeal of constitutional protections for gays and lesbians in the South Pacific islands

South Africa Eases Ban On Gay Blood Donors
(Cape Town, South Africa) Threatened with a human rights lawsuit South Africa's National Blood Service will allow gay men who have been celibate for six months to donate blood.

Wisconsin Gay Marriage Foes Gaining Strength
(Madison, Wisconsin) A statewide poll released Monday appears to show that supporters of a proposed amendment barring the recognition of same-sex couples are gaining widespread support throughout the state.

Drug Tested For HIV Dementia
(Washington) It's an Achilles' heel of HIV therapy: The AIDS virus can sneak into the brain to cause dementia, despite today's best medicines.

Report: Foley Emails Not First To Pages
(Washington) "What did they know and when did they know it," some members of Congress, invoking the famous question from the Watergate scandal, are asking of GOP leaders about disgraced Rep. Mark Foley.

Almost Half Of Europeans Have Misconceptions About AIDS
(Brussels) Almost half of the European Union population continues to have misconceptions about the ways in which HIV-AIDS can be spread, the European Commission said Monday.

Supreme Court Declines Election Law Challenge By Anti-Gay Group
(Washington) The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a lawsuit by a conservative group blocked from airing ads about same-sex marriage.

Court Refuses To Hear Texas Sex-Toy Case
(Washington) The Supreme Court refused Monday to consider whether a Texas law making it a crime to promote sex toys shaped like sexual organs is unconstitutional.

New Gay Crisis Grips Anglicans
(Toronto, Ontario) The former Archbishop of Toronto and leader of Ontario's Anglicans has been disciplined for officiating at the same-sex wedding of a lesbian couple.

Romney Not To Challenge R.I. Gay Marriage Ruling
(Boston) Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney will not appeal last week's ruling allowing same-sex couples from Rhode Island to marry in Massachusetts.

Taiwan Gays March For Civil Rights
(Taipei) Thousands of gays, lesbians and transsexuals marched through the streets of Taipei on the weekend, showing their pride and calling for marriage and civil rights protections.

Congress Passes On Gay Bills, Goes Home
(Washington) Congress adjourned on the weekend without taking up a number of LGBT bills including one that would provide partner benefits for partners of federal workers, another that would include gays in hate crime laws, and a third that would have extended the Ryan White AIDS care act.

Schwarzenegger Signs Gay Tax, Domestic Violence & Seniors Bills
(Sacramento, California) Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger continued to cherry- pick legislation on the weekend aimed at keeping his moderate image while attempting not to anger the far right of his Republican Party.

Sweden Renews Expelling Gay Refugees To Iran 
(Stockholm) Sweden has announced it is ending its moratorium on expelling gay refugees to Iran.  The halt on sending refugee claimants back to the Islamic republic was instituted last year following reports of Iranian gays being hanged.

Wisconsin Seen As Best Chance For Defeat Of Gay Marriage Ban
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin) When it comes to statewide votes on gay marriage, the score so far is 20-0 in favor of keeping it a one-man, one-woman institution.

Other States Consider Constitutional Bans On Gay Marriage
(Washington) In addition to Wisconsin, three other states - Arizona, Colorado and Virginia - are viewed by gay-rights strategists as having closely contested campaigns this fall over proposed constitutional amendments that would ban gay marriage and civil unions. A brief look at the campaigns:

AIDS Campaign Calls HIV A 'Gay Disease' 
(Los Angeles, California)  One of Southern California's most influential gay institutions has launched a controversial ad campaign that describes HIV as a ``gay disease.''

Teen Suspect In Principal's Murder Target Of Homophobic Bullying
(Cazenovia, Wisconsin) A 15-year old charged in the Friday shooting death of his high school principal was angry that the man and others at the school had failed to stop classmates from bullying him court documents allege.

AIDS Bill Backers Maneuver To Force Senate Vote 
(Washington) Supporters of a bill to shift AIDS money from urban to rural areas failed Friday to overcome objections from senators in New York and New Jersey but maneuvered to force a vote when Congress returns after the November elections.

Palm Beach County May Cover Domestic Partner Insurance Costs
(West, Palm Beach, Florida) Palm Beach County is looking at a proposal to pay the insurance premiums of the same-sex partners of county workers.  

Rep. Foley Resigns Over Emails To Former Page
(Washington) Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., submitted a letter of resignation from Congress on Friday in the wake of questions about e-mails he sent to a former male page.

US Drug Firms Seek Approval To Sell Once-A-Day HIV Treatment In Canada
(Princeton, New Jersey) U.S. pharmaceutical firms Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and Gilead Sciences are seeking Health Canada approval to sell a once-per-day treatment for HIV-1 infection in adults in Canada.

Protestors Fail To Stop Homophobic Musician's Concert
(Eugene, Oregon) More than 100 people lined the street in front of the Community Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene Thursday night to protest a concert by Jamaican singer Buju Banton.

Judge: Rhode Island Gay Couples Can Marry In Massachusetts 
(Boston, Massachusetts)  A Boston judge has ruled that a Massachusetts law forbidding out-of-state residents from marrying in Massachusetts if their marriage would not be permitted in their home state does not apply to Rhode Island.

NZ Presbyterians Vote To Bar Gay Clergy
(Wellington) New Zealand's Presbyterian Church voted Friday to exclude gays from the ministry.  The church is the third largest denomination in the country.

India To Increase HIV Treatment Centers
(New Delhi)  Indian authorities plan to nearly double the number of treatment centers providing free drugs and medical care to people battling HIV/AIDS, a senior official said Friday.

Schwarzenegger Signs 'Gay Panic' & LGBT Housing Bills, Vetoes School Bias Bill
(Sacramento, California) California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation Thursday night making it more difficult for defendants to us the so-called 'gay panic' defense.

Suspended Sentence In Abduction Of Ex-Partner's Son
(Spotsylvania, Virginia) A woman convicted of kidnapping her former partner's five-year-old son has avoided jail time after the boy's mother pleaded for clemency in the case.

Disputed AIDS Bill Passes House
(Washington) The House agreed Thursday night to send more AIDS care money to rural areas and the South, overcoming angry opposition from big-state lawmakers who stand to lose millions.

Gov't Delays Motion On Revisiting Canadian Gay Marriage Law
(Ottawa) Canada's Conservative government isn't commenting but lobbyists for groups supporting and opposing reopening the issue of same-sex marriage say Prime Minister Stephen Harper has decided to delay the issue.

Lawmakers Denied Standing In Gay Benefits Suit
(Madison, Wisconsin) An appeals court on Thursday ruled that Wisconsin legislators and a group of municipalities cannot argue against a lawsuit that seeks domestic partner benefits for gay and lesbian state workers.

Georgia Court Rules For Lesbian Mom
(Atlanta, Georgia) The Georgia Court of Appeals has overturned a lower court ruling that awarded custody of a child to its father because the woman lived with a same-sex partner.

Gay Governor's Book Becomes Best-Seller
(Newark, New Jersey) A steamy memoir by former New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey, who left office amid a gay sex scandal, has become a best-seller on two lists.

Zuma To Gays: 'I'm Sorry'
(Cape Town, South Africa) Former South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma has issued an apology for remarks that infuriated gays and made some members of his own African National Congress Party to question his candidacy to run for president.

Man Files Civil Suit In Gay-Bashing Case
(Madison, Wisconsin) A Wisconsin man who says he was the victim of a gay bashing is suing his alleged attackers in civil court for unspecified damages.

Support Waning For Proposed Minnesota Anti-Gay Amendment
(St. Paul, Minnesota) A proposed amendment that would ban same-sex marriage, civil unions and possibly legal contracts between partners, has little chance of passing a new Minnesota poll shows. 

Transsexual Prisoner Freed To Die Charged With Faking Own Death
(Baltimore, Maryland) A transgendered inmate freed from prison last year because she was dying of AIDS has been charged with using a forged Maryland death certificate to get new criminal charges dismissed.

Italian Parliament Moves Forward On Gay Unions Bill
(Rome) Italy's lower house will begin looking at civil unions legislation in November. 

More Arrests As Military Gay Ban Protests Spread
(Washington) Demonstrators protesting against "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," the ban on gays serving openly in the military, were arrested in Spokane and Little Rock on Wednesday.

Study Disputes Emphasis On Viral Loads
(Washington) A new examination of the traditional medical thinking that uses viral loads as a method of predicting a patient's ability to fight HIV has found the practice highly inaccurate.

Canada's Post-Boomers Cherry Pick From Boomers' Legacy
(Toronto, Ontario) Post-baby boomers have inherited a greater acceptance of feminism, same-sex and interracial marriage from their parents. But when it comes to seeking guidance on things like relationships, they don't look to Mom and Dad for advice, a new study suggests.

Gay Marriage Debate Turns Violent
(Wauwatosa, Wisconsin) Police Wednesday were examining video tape of a discussion on a proposed amendment to ban same-sex marriage that turned into a brawl Tuesday night.

Bill Would Give Domestic Partner Benefits To Federal Workers
(Washington) Legislation was introduced in the Senate Wednesday that would extend family benefits to the same-sex partners of gay and lesbian federal workers.

Gay Family Want 3 Parents For Child
(Toronto, Ontario) In the first case of its kind in Canada, possibly the world, a court is being asked to designate a lesbian couple and their son's biological father all the boy's legal parents.

Fury Over Homophobic Speech By Former SA Deputy President
(Cape Town, South Africa) A speech by former Deputy President Jacob Zuma in which he called same-sex marriage an affront has drawn ire from LGBT rights groups.

Spitzer, Faso Clash On Gay Marriage
(New York City) The first one-on-one debate in the race for New York State governor was filled with fireworks Tuesday night as Attorney General Elliott Spitzer unleashed a barrage of verbal missiles at his GOP opponent.

Money Fight Ties Up Ryan White Act In Senate
(Washington) A bill that would shift millions of dollars for AIDS care to rural areas is being held up in the Senate by Democrats from California, New York and New Jersey, whose states would lose out.