A 20-year-old diver set to represent Australia at the 2008 Olympic Games in August has said that the country's Prime Minister is "narrow-minded" for opposing marriage equality for gay couples.

When Matthew Mitcham casually mentioned to a reporter that he lives with his boyfriend Lachlan, he inadvertently generated headlines across the world.

In an in-depth interview with Sydney gay publication SX News, he spoke about coming out at 14, being a role model for gay youth and his unhappiness with Prime Minister's attitude to gay marriage.

"Kevin Rudd’s opinion of marriage as something that’s only between a man and a woman is quite narrow-minded," he said.

"During the election campaign he was all about appearing young and cool, but his views on gay marriage make him look quite old-fashioned."

Australia's gay Olympian attacks PM's gay marriage stance
PinkNews.co.uk, UK

WASHINGTON - Having an ''auto-replace'' filter seemed like a good notion at the time to folks at the conservative American Family Association's OneNewsNow-.com Web site. There were certain words that would pop up from time to time in the Associated Press stories that moved onto the site that were a bit salacious, or unacceptable to post.
    ''We don't have the staff to monitor all the Hollywood stories,'' news director Fred Jackson said this week, ''so we wanted an automated function.'' He said they put up the filter about a month or so ago.
    One word they wanted to filter was ''gay.'' The site felt that the term put the matter of homosexuality ''in a positive light,'' Jackson said, to which the evangelical Christian organization was much opposed. So when a wire story referred to gay marriage, for example, the phrase would automatically appear as ''homosexual marriage.''
    Worked fine until Sunday, when the AP reported that ''Tyson Homosexual easily won his semifinal for the 100 meters at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.'' The story was headlined ''Homosexual eases into 100 final at Olympic trials.''
    ''On Saturday,'' the story said, ''Homosexual misjudged the finish in his opening heat . . . ''
    That's world champion sprinter Tyson Gay, of course.

Censoring Gay: Conservative site's filter runs amok on name
Salt Lake Tribune, United States -

THREE more countries will be competing this year in the Wales film event, the Iris Prize Festival.

Taking place in Cardiff this October, nominations are pouring in for the £25,000 Iris Prize, which is awarded to the best lesbian and gay short film as judged by an international panel of jurors.

It is the largest prize for a gay and lesbian short film competition in the world and will allow the winner to make their next short film in the UK.

All of the shortlisted films are screened during the three-day festival which is held at Cineworld and Chapter Arts Centre. The festival also includes screenings of seven new feature films.

Organisers have confirmed that three new events have joined the Iris network of film festivals: MIX Brazil, Hamburg International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival and Israel International LGBT Film Festival. They will now nominate a short film to compete for the Iris Prize.

Other partner festivals include LA, Sydney, New York, Hong Kong and Dublin among others.

 £25000 Iris Prize blooms for lesbian and gay film makers
WalesOnline, United Kingdom -

A GAY asylum seeker has been refused permission to stay in Scotland and told he is likely to be safe in his homophobic homeland provided he behaves "discreetly".

Scotland on Sunday revealed earlier this year that Syrian Jojo Jako Yakob was battling to stay here after suffering horrific abuse because of his sexuality and political activities.

It has now emerged that an immigration tribunal has turned down he UK, despite accepting that Yakob is gay and that Syria criminalises and represses homo– sexuality.

In a judgment that has appalled gay rights campaigners, the tribunal suggests Yakob is unlikely to come to any harm so long as he keeps his sexuality under wraps.

Lawyers for the 20-year-old are planning a last-ditch court bid to stop him being deported. Campaigners said they were in no doubt Yakob's life would once again be placed in serious danger.

 Gay asylum seeker to be thrown out of UK
Scotland on Sunday, UK -

Braving threats of violence from neo-Nazis and other ultra right wing groups, some 1,500 people turned up at the Budapest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Pride March yesterday to express their will to live in a country where the rights of LGBT people – and other minorities – are respected.

And the promised disruption materialised, with the police using water canons and tear gas against the counter demonstrators.

And participants of the Gay Pride were quick to praise the police who “protected the march against serious physical attacks in an exemplary manner”, according to one marcher.

Four different official counter-demonstrations were held against the march, but there were attackers at nearly every corner along the approximately one-mile route.

Counter-demonstrators were throwing petrol bombs, rotten eggs, faeces, eggs filled with acid or paint and cobblestones.

“There was one street where literally a shower of eggs and stones was poured on us,” said Gábor Kuszing of Patent Association.

“I was lucky to have a placard in my hand, and others used umbrellas, but most people just came in their regular clothes.”

Organisers had forewarned participants to carry large umbrellas or wear helmets.

The whole length of Andrássy, where the March took place, was cordoned and counter demonstrators were only allowed in side streets behind yet another set of bars.

SWAT officers in helmets and other protective equipment called in from all over Hungary followed the March on the whole length of the route and intervened where necessary.

“It was great to see the police protecting us, after the police chief tried to ban the march earlier,” Mr Kuszing commented.

“The fact that the police were protecting us is an important message to the neo-Nazi criminals and the public at large.”

The March ended in a cordon-enclosed area, where a concert was going to take place.

However, the neo-Nazi mob had beaten up the performer, who is Roma, and is a target of neo-Nazi hatred herself.

The March started at 4 p.m. after speeches at Erzsébet tér, a central square in Budapest, and after strict security checks upon entrance to prevent neo-Nazis from seeping into the crowd.

At the end of the march, police used tear gas and a water cannon to clear the route for the marchers to leave and escorted the marchers to a metro station at Hősök tere, simultaneously dispersing the mob there.

“For a long time, we could not leave for the station at Hősök tere because the press leaked the information on which metro station we would be transported to,” Mr Kuszing said.

“It felt a bit claustrophobic as we got in the train not knowing where it would drop us off.”

Hungarian gay organisations all said they were grateful for the support that participants of the march showed and hope that the sense of solidarity for the rights of all disenfranchised groups will continue.  They are also saluting the police for making the right decision in the end and effectively protecting the LGBT Pride March.

“We lost a yearly celebration last year but we gained solidarity and legal protection for our right to peaceful assembly,” Mr Kuszing said, summed up this year’s Gay Pride March.