Pink News - UK

Television shows and films with gay characters could miss on tax credits in Florida for not being "family-friendly". Lawmakers in the state have been coy over the meaning of the phrase "non-traditional family values".

Veteran US broadcaster Barbara Walters has said that asking Ricky Martin to confirm whether he was gay was "inappropriate". She now believes it could have damaged his career in the US.

Will & Grace actor Sean Hayes has confirmed he is gay - adding that he was "never in" the closet. The star, who played gay character Jack McFarland in the sitcom, has been criticised in the past for not declaring his sexual orientation.

Microsoft's Bing search engine has been accused of blocking non-pornographic gay and lesbian searches in Arabic countries. Researchers said that Arabic words which were filtered included the terms "gay", "lesbian" and "homosexuality".

The first gay couples to marry in Washington DC held their ceremonies today. They were able to apply for marriage licences last Wednesday and, due to a mandatory waiting period, the first ceremonies were set to take place today.

Escort adverts in magazines and newspapers could be banned if Labour wins the general election. The party is putting forward a new law in its election manifesto which could impose a £10,000 fine for those who fail to comply.

A Catholic priest has apologised after joking that marriage is not for "Adam and Steve" in a sermon. Reverend Frank Wainwright, 48, a deacon at St Gregory's Church in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, made the quip at a Sunday service when discussing commitment.

A Christian registrar who was disciplined because she would not officiate civil partnerships has been refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The California senator who was arrested on suspicion of drink driving last week after leaving a gay club has come out. Roy Ashburn said he was gay on a local radio show yesterday.

The evangelical Bishop of Liverpool James Jones has said that sexual orientation is not a choice and that he is "in sympathy" with religious civil partnerships.

Political opponents of gay former Glasgow council leader Steven Purcell have demanded full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding his departure.

EastEnders actor John Partridge has criticised the gay Coronation Street character Sean Tully as a "stereotype".

The Lib Dem Scottish spring conference passed a motion yesterday calling on the Scottish government to legalise gay marriage.

Xbox Live has changed its policy to allow gamers to display their sexual orientation or gender identity in gamertags. Players who wanted to be out and proud were previously banned from using words such as 'gay' and 'lesbian'.

An anti-gay California senator was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving after visiting a gay bar. Roy Ashburn, who has a history of opposing gay rights, had been at a gay bar called Faces and had a man in his car when he was stopped.

The Conservative Party has published a list of its out gay candidates standing for election this year. The party has 20 out gay candidates, with 11 of these happy to be named.

An Australian lobby group has said that Facebook users should be given the option of listing themselves as trans because the 'male' and 'female' options are too narrow.

Steven Purcell, the openly gay former Labour leader of Glasgow city council, was questioned by police inside the city council chamber a year ago, it emerged today.

Out gay peer Lord Waheed Alli has accused bishops of misleading church leaders and the public over plans to allow gay couples to have their civil partnerships in church.

Seventeen Democrat senators and one independent have called to end America's ban on gay men donating blood. The 1983 rule is "outdated, medically and scientifically unsound", they argued in a letter to the Food and Drug Administration yesterday.