I apologise for the lack of column last week. This was due to a thunderstorm leaving me with no power to get this article in. Which sadly means that I am little late with this weeks lead story.

Leading Tory Gay

Well surprise, surprise. After all this time the party that has long been full of ex-public schoolboys - who undoubtedly have, like Michael Portillo, had same-sex experiences in their past - at last has an openly gay front bench spokesperson.

Alan Duncan the MP for Rutland and Melton and Conservative Party shadow Foreign Minister made the statement last week. In the past similar announcements by members of the Conservative party have lead to resignations soon after. However Mr Duncan's announcement led to comments of support from the leader Ian Duncan Smith and former leader William Hague. Duncan had held a key role in William Hague's leadership election.

The other main parties in the UK have already had prominent homosexual members of parliament and some are even part of the current Labour cabinet, but Mr Duncan is the first such high profile member of the Conservative party to come out as a currently practising homosexual.

There was some suspicion that homophobia might still have played a part in Michael Portillo's failure to win the last leadership election, but Mr Duncan now joins a small group of other Parliamentary Constituency Candidates named so far by the Conservatives for the next general election. He has the support of the leader and the party seems to have finally moved into the late 20^th Century as we embark on the 21^st.

Kiss-in at the Basketball

The management of New York Liberty woman's basketball faced a protest from their lesbian fans at a recent game at Madison Square Gardens. During the game on August 2 the Lesbian fans carried on kissing during the breaks in the game as a protest that other interest groups had special days whilst they were ignored.

Like all American sports the team has had theme days to mark Father's Day or Black History Month but the gay and lesbian community have been ignored by the team. The group which organised the protest sent an e-mail saying;

'Are you tired of the WNBA and the New York Liberty denying that lesbians are packing Madison Square Garden week after week for women's basketball games?'

Other Lesbian fans had used the teams Banner Night promotion to hold up signs which said 'Lesbians for Liberty' or similar messages.

The team, which contains openly Lesbian Sue Wicks, issued a statement saying its games 'bring together all facets of the city, including the gay and lesbian community.' Look out for a Lesbigay day at Madison Square Gardens in the near future then.

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Steve

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