Fridae

Japanese-American actor George Takei best known for his portrayal of Mr Sulu in the Star Trek television and film series, has married his longtime partner on Sunday.

Senator Louise Pratt has called for gay marriage to be legalised, challenging party leader and PM Kevin Rudd, who had recently pushed the ACT government to scrap its bid for civil union and gay marriage laws on the grounds the arrangement mimicked marriage.

Unlike last year, Singapore's LGBT pride season Indignation which ended last week was not hit by any bans. Fridae columnist and event co-organiser Alex Au recaps the events organised by various community groups and individuals over a 3-week period.

In the biggest celebrity union since California's Supreme Court overturned a state ban on same-sex marriage, US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and her long-time partner actress Portia de Rossi marry on Saturday.

Offering fresh evidence that sexual orientation is hardwired into our neural circuitry, Swedish researchers say they have found striking similarities between the brains of gay men and straight women and vice versa.

A censorship manager with Singapore's largest free-to-air channel warns that "(e)ven a cooking show can be dangerous" as just one remark can "normalise (the) gay lifestyle." Meanwhile, Singapore's newly appointed Attorney-General warns of human rights "fanatics."

A Catholic organisation in the United States spent an estimated three-quarters of a million dollars to buy advertisements in three major newspapers to attack homosexuality and same-sex marriage.

Lesbian talkshow host Ellen DeGeneres and her long-time partner Portia de Rossi are among those planning on wedding bells, as the California Supreme Court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage on Thursday.

Banned a decade ago in Singapore, Wilde which depicts the rise and fall of the widely known gay Irish-born playwright, Oscar Wilde, will be shown at a Gala Fundraiser on May 13 to benefit Indignation, Singapore's gay pride season.

The Red Cross of Thailand announced last week that it would change its screening process for blood donors following strong protest from gay rights groups reacting to an earlier announcement on a blanket ban of gay blood donors.