The Gaily News

Canada:
Quebec: Parti Quebecois leader Andre Boisclair was sworn in as a member of Quebec legislature declaring that his sovereigntist party wants to build a new Quebec. Openly gay Boisclair was elected PQ leader nine months ago.
Source 365gay.com

UK:
London: Comptons of Soho was evacuated on Thursday 17th after staff and patrons spontaneously broke into violent coughing fits. 10 customers had difficulty breathing afterwards, but none were taken to hospital. The pub opened again after 2 ½ hours. No cause or clear account of what happened has been found as yet.
Source: metro.co.uk

My take: Hopefully it was a freak event and not an attack, just someone having a REALLY nasty dump in the toilets maybe? But I will certainly be on the look out in town, more than usual.

South Tyneside: A local paper won the right to name a homophobic bully who led an assault on a gay 15-year-old boy. 16-year-old Danny Murphy of Jarrow led a gang of six teenagers who set upon the 15-year-old as he walked along the A19 in Jarrow on May 9th.
Source: pinknews.co.uk

My take: People like this, whether it is a homophobic, racist or any other type of attack, should always be named and then they can see what it is like to be a target in the community. I don’t normally condone straight-bashing, but…………

USA:
New York: NYPD are searching for the killer of Martin Barreto, an openly gay former press aide to Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Mr Barreto was found naked in the bedroom of the Greenwich Village apartment of a cousin with a condom wrapper on the floor nearby.
Source: 365gay.com