Fridae

The Communist Party of the Philippines officiated the first gay marriage between two male members of the New People's Army, Sweden discusses the issue of gay marriage while Fiji's will review its anti-gay laws.

Following Dr Balaji Sadasivan's fiercely debated comments last November that gay men's unsafe sexual practices were the biggest cause of concern, stakeholders organised a meeting at the 4th AIDS conference to discuss the issues relevant to MSMs.

Taiwan has passed a new law which requires taiwan hotels, saunas to offer condoms to patrons; gay rights groups in Taipei have challenged a legislator to a debate over remarks about city budget while Canada has unveiled draft legislation to permit gay marriage.

This week: Singapore MP praises the government for banning gay party last year, Texas GLBT community expresses outrage at 'ex-gay' billboards put up by Focus on the Family which in the same week slapped a gay warning on a cartoon promoting tolerance while in Australia, a gay activist wins national accolade.

The number of MSM who tested positive for HIV doubled from 26 in 2003 to 54 in 2004, accounting for 3 out of 4 HIV-positive clients at the Anonymous HIV Testing Centre last year.

This week: Russian pair seeks gay marriage license, Bush camp backtracks on suggestion that he wouldn't press for a Senate vote on gay marriage amendment, Pentagon confirms 1994 “gay bomb” proposal and Malaysia’s The Star reports on reparative therapy.

This week: Phuket gay festival postponed to Apr 7-10, US Supreme Court won't hear Florida gay adoption appeal and the Pope announces fighting gay marriage a top priority in 2005.

This week: 36 Sri Lanka gay activists die in the tsunami disaster, Nepal to launch its first gay weekly, gay slights may land Aussie media personalities in court while in California, gay couples to get marriage-like benefits.

This week: Canadian officials issue health alert for gay men, study finds that gay and straight men are alike in body image hang-ups, New Zealand gay club suspects arsonist and Chicago Gay Games organisers remind participants of early registration dateline.

More than 80,000 people were reported killed and millions displaced after tidal waves swept across the Indian sub continent to Thailand on Sunday; donations sought.