Nov 03, 2006   | COMMENTS     

LONDON — Greg Barker, the shadow environment minister in England’s Parliament, is said to have ended his marriage of 14 years with his wife, Celeste, after having a year-long affair with a male interior designer, the Daily Telegraph reported. Barker and his wife have two sons and a daughter between ages 6 and 11, according to the report. The paper said Mrs. Barker only recently learned of the affair and is “absolutely devastated” about it. She had dedicated her life to her husband’s political career, the paper said. Barker, who entered the Commons in 2001 and was a member of fellow Parliament member David Cameron’s successful Tory leadership campaign last year, refused to comment in any detail on the reports. In a statement issued through Conservative headquarters, Barker, 40, said: “It was announced in July that my wife and I had separated, and we are entitled to a private life.” When asked to confirm that he had left his wife for a man, Barker said, “It’s a private matter.” The designer is believed to have carried out extensive work on the couple’s house in Rye, East Sussex, the Daily Telegraph said.

Foreign ministry helps promote Israel’s gay scene

JERUSALEM, Israel – The foreign ministry is promoting an initiative called Gay Israel as part of its campaigns to break apart negative stereotypes Americans and Europeans have of Israel, The Jerusalem Post reported last week amid a growing protest against a Gay Pride parade scheduled for the city in November. Parade organizers are receiving anonymous threats of a holy war against them according to gay activist Michael Hamel, who is traveling in Europe and the U.S. to publicize the initiative. He’s the head of an Israeli association for gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgendered people and said the ministry has been helpful with parts of the initiative, which is working on a map of Tel Aviv that highlights gay attractions. An anonymous ministry official told The Jerusalem Post that its efforts are an important part of the work to showcase Israel’s support of human rights and to underscore its diversity. Ministry officials are concerned that Westerners judge Israel harshly because of its treatment of Palestinians. David Saranga, who works in Israel’s New York consulate, is hoping to promote Israel as a destination spot for Western gays and promote the country for its efforts in the arts.

Postal workers refuse to deliver ‘anti-gay’ mail

VANCOUVER, Canada — Canada Post will deliver anti-gay booklets this week, despite protests from postal workers in Vancouver who took a stand against the mail because they took offense to it, CTV.ca, an online Canadian news outlet, reported last week. Postal workers called the booklets homophobic, but there was some differing of opinion on whether a stand they took against delivering them was done in protest or whether they were merely taking a coffee break. Lillian Au, communications manager for Canada Post’s pacific region, told CTV.ca that the post would honor its commitment to the client who mailed the booklets, an Ontario-based religious group, despite an initial delay because of the alleged protest. She said if postal workers refused to mail the booklets, it would be illegal. CTV.ca reported that 68 workers walked off the job for about 15 minutes on Oct. 26 after seeing the 200 unsealed booklets. Canada Post downplayed the protest by saying the workers were on break. They returned to work after being assured no disciplinary action would be taken against them, CTV.ca said.

Gay forum welcomes Bulgaria to EU during conference

SOFIA, Bulgaria — The International Association of Gays & Lesbians for Europe opened its 28th annual conference here last week with delegates from all over the continent saying Bulgaria is ready for the European Union, which describes itself as a “family of democratic European countries,” Sophia News Agency, an English-language outlet for Bulgarian news, reported. Organizers said hosting the conference in Bulgaria shows they trust the country and its level of tolerance. The forum ended Sunday. The association is a non-governmental organization comprised of more than 200 gay organizations from all over Europe. Gemini, a Bulgarian gay organization, has been a member since it was established in 1992. This year’s conference attracted about 300 European delegates including representatives from leading human rights organizations, European Council, members of European Parliament and Council of Europe.

Southern China university approves country’s first gay student union

HONG KONG (AP) — A southern Chinese university has approved the country’s ...