The 7 LGBT news stories you might have missed this week

PinkNews brings you a roundup of news from the past seven days.

Here are some of the most widely read, and notable news stories from the past week which you may have missed.

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Lionel Blair claimed he “can’t bear” the idea of two men getting married.

The actor and dancer said: “I can’t bear it, I’m afraid. Look, if people want to live together, fine. And I do believe in civil partnerships. But marriage is between a man and a woman.”

He added: “The world has changed. What has happened to my beautiful England?”

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Production of a Freddie Mercury biopic stalled over script problems

Bad news for anyone hoping to see the much-discussed Freddie Mercury movie any time soon – even leading man Ben Whishaw doesn’t know if it’s still happening.

The James Bond star said: “I don’t know what’s happening, it seems to be on the back-burner. There were problems getting the script working.”

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An out Liverpool councillor discovered someone impersonating him on Grindr to offer sex for cash

21-year-old independent councillor Jake Morrision revealed the “bizarre and disturbing” incident, in which someone using his photos approached men on the hookup app to offer sex for £40.

He said: “I am a politician and for somebody to use my pictures and pretend to be me in this way is damaging to my reputation and is very serious.”

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Christian rock star Vicky Beeching came out as gay

The singer-songwriter and TV personality came out as gay, proclaiming: “What Jesus taught was a radical message of welcome and inclusion and love. I feel certain God loves me just the way I am”.

Ms Beeching also had a run-in with US pastor Scott Lively, who offered to cure her homosexuality during a live Channel 4 discussion.

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Facebook donated $10,000 to a Republican fighting same-sex marriage

It emerged that Facebook made a large donation to the primary campaign of Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who is currently fighting against same-sex marriage in court.

The social network defended its decision to donate to Reyes, who has pledged to “spend whatever it takes” to stop same-sex marriage in the state.

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Tory MP Michael Fabricant called for an end to the ban on gay men giving blood

The Conservative MP called for a change to the policy, which bans men who have sex with men from giving blood if they have had sex in the past 12 months.

He warned: “In January last year, parts of England and Wales came within three days of running out of a blood group. With outdated, illogical and unequal rules for blood donation, such crises are likely to recur.”

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A performance artist claims he will have sex with different man every day for a year

Russian-born Mischa Badasyan will attempt to sleep with 365 men, starting from September.

The Berlin-based artist will use Grindr and Scruff to help him with the project, which he says is about exploring the idea of loneliness and ‘non-places’.

• Nov 29 2023

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