US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton wants partnership with gays
Speaking at a board meeting of the Human Rights Campaign, Sen. Hillary Clinton pledged to support gay causes if elected president in the 2008 race.
Speaking at a board meeting of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in Washington, D.C. last Friday, she pledged to maintain the same close relationship that last year helped defeat the federal amendment that would have banned same-sex marriage.
"I want you to know that this is exactly the kind of partnership we will have when I am president," she told more than 400 board members, staff and supporters of the HRC.
"I want you to know that just as you always have an open door to my Senate office, you will always have an open door to the White House."
She also said she opposes the "don't ask, don't tell," which says gays may serve in the military only if they keep their sexual orientation private, that was instituted during her husband's presidency. Her chief rivals for the Democratic nomination, John Edwards and Barack Obama, also favour repealing the policy.
She also criticised the Bush administration for making political appeals based on gay rights issues, vowing that her presidency would mark "the end of leadership that has politicised the most personal and intimate issues."
The HRC said in a statement that it had extended invitations to former Sen. John Edwards; Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.; and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani although all three were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts. The HRC also said that it has not made any endorsement or taken a position on any potential 2008 presidential candidates.
The video can be viewed on YouTube.
Taiwan's amended domestic violence bill to cover same-sex couples
Same-sex couples in Taiwan may soon be covered under the revised Domestic Violence Bill after it passed the third reading in parliament on Monday. It will come into effect after approval from the cabinet.
Under the revised bill, the definition of husband-wife relationship has been amended to read "live-in" relationships and will include same-sex couples.
Gay advocacy groups have welcomed the move but stressed that their ultimate goal is have Taiwan legalise same-sex marriage.
"The passing of the Domestic Violence Bill is a breakthrough for the Taiwan society and offers one more protection to homosexuals," Wu Hsu-liang, spokesman for the Taiwan Tongzhi Hotline Association, was quoted as saying to reporters.
While some regard the move to include same-sex couples under the bill as moving a step closer towards recognising gay marriage in the country, others feel Taiwan leaders are only paying lip service to gay rights issues.
London gay-bar bomber gets 50 years
Nail bomber David Copeland, responsible for the 1999 bombing of the London gay bar which killed three, has had his original prison sentence extended from 30 years to 50. Under the new sentence, he will be in his seventies when he is eligible for parole.
Copeland, now 30, was convicted in 2000 for killing three people when a nail bomb he had planted ripped through the gay Admiral Duncan pub in London's Soho district and three counts of causing explosions in order to endanger lives. The final blast at the mainly gay Admiral Duncan pub killed Andrea Dykes, 27, who was pregnant, and friends John Light, 32, and Nik Moore, 31, from Essex.
The self-proclaimed neo-Nazi had planted a series of bombs throughout London - in Brixton, Brick Lane, and Soho - in a space of 13 days that resulted in 139 injuries, including several amputations.
High court Justice Burton cited the "exceptional gravity" of the case and increased the sentence in light of new legislation that allows for stricter sentencing guidelines. The judge said the bombs, which were packed with nails in order to maximise injuries, were a "really exceptional case of deliberate, multiple murder."