Free Republic

Moscow's top court has upheld a ban on gay pride marches in the Russian capital for the next 100 years. Earlier Russia's best-known gay rights campaigner, Nikolay Alexeyev, had gone to court hoping to overturn the city council's ban on gay parades. He had asked for the right to stage such parades for the next 100 years. He also opposes St Petersburg's ban on spreading "homosexual propaganda". The European Court of Human Rights has told Russia to pay him damages. On Friday he said he would go back to the European Court in Strasbourg to push for a recognition that...

T.O. announces campaign to attract gay tourists toronto.ctv.ca Tourism Toronto said Friday that it plans to launch an advertising campaign aimed at making the city a top destination for gay travellers from the U.S. The campaign will focus on four major cities - New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It will include ads in gay restaurants, bars and local publications, as well as event sponsorships and other promotional activities. "Toronto has things to offer all year round--we've got a number of festivals outside of Pride that we can market," said Bruce MacDonald of the Canadian Gay & Lesbian...

Russian Moslems may hold serious protests if representatives of sexual minorities attempt to hold a gay parade in Moscow this coming May. This was stated to Interfax on Tuesday by the supreme mufti from the administration of spiritual matters for Moslems (in Russia), Talgat Tajuddin. "The protests of Moslems (here) can be even worse than the cartoon protests going on outside the country," he said. He noted that representatives of sexual minorities "can do what they want at home or in some secluded place, in the dark, but if they start to go out into the street and campaign, then...

CONWAY, Ark. (AP) - Organizers of a gay pride parade awoke to find the parade route covered in cow manure, but it was cleaned up in time for the event. Police said the dump-truck load was spread at about 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Authorities are investigating, they said, and criminal mischief and littering charges could be filed. City workers scooped and rinsed the manure from the route. The parade attracted about 275 marchers in the town of 26,000 north of Little Rock. It also attracted protesters, many from local churches. Police said there were no injuries or arrests. "We want to...