In Brief

STATE LIBS ATTACK GAY SCHOOL EDUCATION

Opposition spokesman on education Andrew Stoner has criticised anti-bullying texts used in school in comments to The Sydney Morning Herald. He accused Labor of political correctness for providing reading material reflecting gay and lesbian parents to children as young as five. Iemma should keep his promise and teach kids respect and responsibility, leaving controversial issues like same-sex marriage and adoption to parents, he said. But the president of the NSW Primary Principals Association, Geoff Scott, said the books simply reflected real life. The principal and teachers would be up to speed with what the community expected. The books in primary school libraries are not espousing a particular point of view or pushing values to children.

NEW YORK NEXT FOR SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Same-sex couples have a new excuse to wear the ubiquitous I Heart NY T-shirts with the state’s governor introducing a bill to permit same-sex marriage. The New York Times is reporting the Democrat governor Eliot Spitzer concedes the measure will most likely fail in a Republican-controlled legislature, but was fulfilling a campaign promise to his gay and lesbian supporters. Last July the state’s court of appeals ruled same-sex couples do not have a constitutional right to marriage, making Spitzer the first governor to introduce such a measure without judicial pressure.

OIL BARON RESIGNS AFTER BOYFRIEND TELLS ALL

Lord Browne, chief executive of oil giant BP, resigned on 1 May after it was revealed he had lied to a British high court judge about how he had met his former gay lover. During a court hearing to try to prevent Jeff Chevalier from selling the story of their relationship to a newspaper, Browne claimed the two had met while he was exercising in London’s Battersea Park. They in fact met on a website used by male escorts, suitedandbooted.com. Browne denied abusing BP company assets by helping Chevalier set up a mobile phone ringtone business with senior BP staff on the board. He did admit, however, to paying for a university course so Chevalier, a Canadian citizen, could remain in the UK on a student visa. Browne could face perjury charges for lying in court.

UK HIV RATES

A British news survey has reported that one in three HIV-positive gay men has had unprotected sex. Despite alarming rates, the figures have also exposed that almost one in five HIV-negative men also partake in unsafe sex. The findings are based on 2,640 questionnaires handed out at saunas, clubs and pubs across England between 2003 and 2004. The news research also backs up other evidence, which demonstrates the need for ongoing, targeted HIV prevention work with gay and bisexual men in the UK.