• Italian PM blocks gay unions plan from own equality minister
• Hong Kong transgender woman wins right to marry partner 
• Ukrainian parliament drops proposed gay anti-discrimination bill
• People protest against homophobia in Chile and Cuba
• Nintendo disables same-sex marriage in popular game

Other News

• US engaged in torture after 9/11, independent review finds
• Porn’s negative effect on teenagers exaggerated, study says
• Canada says science has no value if it doesn’t benefit economy
• Physicist Stephen Hawking joins academic boycott of Israel
• Swaziland makes it illegal for witches to fly broomstick above 150m

• Iceland: World’s first openly gay prime minister quits politics
• Estonia: 35,000 sign petition to oppose marriage equality
• Italian equal opportunities minister resigns over homophobia
• US Boy Scouts may start allowing in gay kids but not adults
• McDonald’s worker harassed by management for being too gay

Other News

• UK internet providers collaborate on government surveillance
• All telephone calls recorded, accessible to the US government
• Israel airport security officially allowed to read all your e-mails
• 5-year-old kills his little sister with gun he got for his birthday
• Pirate Party enters Iceland’s national parliament for first time

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmhaVm7NDkA

And now, the course “general” Alex De Koker, 49, and employee Michael Erasmus, 20, are on trial for charges of murder, child abuse and neglect, along with two cases of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm in relation to Buys’ death. The teen’s death is alleged to have been the third among the Afrikaans children who attended the $2,400 courses, which have been advertised since 2006.

“I sent my son on this course to make him a better man, to give him a better future,” Buys’ mother told The Daily Telegraph. “I trusted Alex De Koker with his life.”

Last week, the Vereeniging District Court heard the testimony of a boy who had shared a tent with Buys, the Daily Maverick reports. Gerhard Oostuizen, 19, claims Buys was chained to his bed every night, was refused permission to visit the toilet and on one occasion was forced to eat his own faeces. He also said he would be beaten with planks, hosepipes and sticks when he failed to carry out manual labour tasks. Oostuizen alleged further he saw De Koker tied Buys to a chair naked with his head covered in a pillowcase, and would electrocute him with a stun gun.

Gender activist Melanie Nathan has said the three young men were all perceived as “gay and clearly effeminate”. In reference to “gay conversion camps”, Nathan writes: “With a little bit of digging [into the story], the gay reparative undertones start to emerge.” Eric Calitz, 18, and Nicolaas Van Der Walt, 19, had both died after being enrolled at the Echo Wild Game Rangers camp four years earlier. When Calitz requested to leave, De Koker reportedly told him he “wasn’t a moffie [gay] and he would make a man out of him”.

Calitz’s family was informed of his death via text message, saying he had died of a heart attack. Afterwards, doctors said the cause of death was from a seizure, dehydration and found bleeding from the brain. Van Der Walt was also claimed to have died from a heart attack, but doctors said he had appeared to have been choked with a seatbelt.  Both De Koker and Erasmus have pleaded not guilty to the charges. The case continues.

Via Gay Star News

• After marriage equality in France some celebrate while others riot 
• Anti-gay French politician accidentally votes in favour of gay marriage
• Colombia’s Senate says no to gay marriage, equality may come anyway 
• Topless protesters drench Archbishop in protest of homophobia
• Swedish high school first to set up gender-neutral dressing room

Other News

• Law turning Google, Facebook into government spies passes US congress
• US telco getting immunity from wiretapping laws for government surveillance
• US gun violence victims detained and put through background check
• US Senate says people buying guns online don’t need background check
• Czech ambassador in the US had to clarify that Czech Republic is not Chechnya

www.youtube.com/watch?v=DW4DXOAXF8U

• France legalises same-sex marriage & same-sex couple adoption
• Ireland set to get referendum on legalising same-sex marriage
• New Zealand expected to give final approval to equal marriage bill
• Queer-friendly scouting organization reports massive growth

Other News

• Upside of the economic crisis: military spending declining everywhere
• Netherlands and Scandinavia best in child welfare, US among worst
• WikiLeaks cables confirm collusion between Vatican and dictators
• Men ejected from Saudi festival, deported for being too handsome

• Uruguay Senate overwhelmingly approves marriage equality bill in vote
• Malaysian government produces anti-gay musical to scare kids straight
• Gay porn star blasts US immigration laws; commits suicide shortly after
• Sweden’s first openly gay member of parliament gay bashed in Greece
• More than 3,000 signed up for gay protest of Putin in Amsterdam

Other News

• Protest against declaring public protests illegal declared illegal in Canada
• US High School to hold a prom for white kids and one "integrated" prom
• Father, first time offender sells pain killers to friend, gets 25 years in prison
• US teacher under investigation for saying “vagina” in anatomy lesson
• Holy torrents: The porn films being pirated within the walls of Vatican