Fridae

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry as well as ministers from Argentina, Brazil, Croatia, France, the Netherlands and Norway, and senior officials from Japan, New Zealand and the European Union were at the first ever ministerial-level meeting to protect the human rights of LGBT people around the world.

Despite Pope Francis's recent pronouncements that the Catholic church should stop focusing on gay issues, the Catholic Church has reportedly threatened legal action should an art gallery in Rome decide to go ahead with its exhibition of photographs showing same-sex couples sharing kisses in churches.

Barilla, one of the best known pasta brands around the world, has found itself in hot water after its president said in an interview this week that the company wouldn't feature same-sex couples in his commercials because he prefers the "classic" family.

Bangladesh rejects United Nations recommendation to decriminalise its anti-gay sex law at the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva last Friday.

Dozens of Italian lawmakers locked lips in support of a measure to prevent anti-LGBTQ discrimination during a parliamentary debate last week.

The Thai Ministry of Justice announced that it would work with the House of Representatives Committee on Laws, Justice and Human Rights to push draft legislation on civil unions for same-sex couples.

A Singapore court has denied the application by a Singaporean gay couple to have a Queen’s Counsel represent them in their appeal against the dismissal of their challenge to section 377A of the Penal Code which criminalises sex between men.

The LGBTI community in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, now has its own community centre which was built with financial assistance from the Nepal government, Norwegian government, Danish Embassy, US Embassy, and contributions from community members from in and outside the country.

With over 35 events planned, Hong Kong's Pink Season looks set to be Asia's largest LGBT cultural festival spanning over two months from September 12 to November 10, 2013.

Some 1,200 people joined a mock "wedding banquet" in Taipei on Saturday to drum up support for a same-sex marriage bill due to be sent to parliament soon.