If you cast your minds back to the weekend – past the hungover fugue, past the Saturday night binge, keep going.. there! You may remember my wee post flagging IDAHO, the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, which takes place this week.

The good

As part of marking IDAHO, a Great Global Kiss-In was organised, and appears to have generated a massive response, with thousands of participants across the world – and still growing!

If you have participated – or would like to – Gays.com are continuing to accept everyone’s photies and videos, by email (to idaho@gays.com) or upload (at gays.com or their YouTube group) – or you can simply tag photos on Flickr with ‘GreatGlobalKissin’.

Oh, and word has reached us thatGays.com are giving away some t-shirts to the best entrants (pics and vids), so let that motivate ya.

And to round off the whole thing for posterity, a fabulous super-video is being compiled, with as many of the kiss-ins from the 40-odd locations around the world.  It makes me think of Travelling Matt, only gayer.

In other good news coinciding with IDAHO . . .

Yay! No sooner has the country’s door hit Il Papa Ratzy on the arse on his way out (see below), but Portugal‘s President, Anibal Cavaco Silva, swiftly signed a law allowing for civil marriage of persons of the same sex.  It seems that the country’s Prime Minister, José Sócrates, promised to have the legislation signed into law after the pontiff’s visit – and they didn’t hang around!  If you’re a Lusophile – that is, a speaker of Portuguese – check out some great videos here, here e here.  (And if you can translate them, even better – let us know!)

To celebrate – and since our own government insists on denying us equality here – why not celebrate by participating in International Same-Sex Hand Holding Week this week?  Okay, the name doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, but it’s the perfect complimentary activity if you’re going for a Kiss-In – or, indeed, it’s something that is feasible if you can’t find your local Kiss-In or if it’s just not safe to be so bold.

The bad

In terrible news, Malawi couple – Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20 – have been convicted by a court of “unnatural acts and gross indecency”. The judge in the court stated that the charge had been proven “beyond a reasonable doubt” by the prosecution. Which is disturbing, given that the men were arrested for conducting a commitment ceremony together. The wider implications for the country and the region are causing concern for LGBT and HIV/AIDS activists, who fear that the ruling may push LGBT people “underground” and may make people more reluctant to come forward for advice and treatment for HIV/AIDS. Steven and Tiwonge have been detained since their arrest in December. They have been subjected to beatings during their detention. They will receive their sentence tomorrow.

You can take action via Amnesty International’s UK office.

Closer to home, Bulgaria has been classed by member of its LGBT community as the most homophobic country in the EU.  Data from the EU’s Eurobarometer was cited to provide examples of discriminatory attitudes by employers, and of refusal of applications for refugee status based on sexual orientation.  Lithuania could give Bulgaria a run for its money, with hysterical heteros getting their knickers in a twist over a handful of queers going for a walk.  You can watch the locals and neo-Nazis of Vilnius getting apopleptic here.

In Turkey – a potential candidate for EU memberships – a number of trans people and activists were beaten, and were arrested and detained by police in the capital, Ankara.  ILGA-Europe provides an account in English of the events that took place:

Transgenders who are members of Pink Life Association were arrested after being brutally beaten up in Ankara. On the night of May 17th, in Esat district, Ankara police brutally attacked and dragged 5 transgenders to the Esat Police Station.

Police’s response to those who called the station was “Why do you care about these? Mind your own work.” 5 trangender individuals were kept at the station till morning.

Arrested 5 transgenders were later taken to medical jurisprudence as a result of insisting demand of Pink Life and Kaos GL members and after lawyers showed up at the police station. After medical jurisprudence controls, 5 transgenders were again taken to the police station, where they were released at 06:00.

If the other European countries mentioned above are anything to go by, Turkey’s application for EU membership should be a cake-walk, so.

The fugly

I alluded to him earlier on in this post – yes, it’s everyone’s favourite Pope Nazinger.  Shortly before marriage equality was signed into law in Portugal, Joseph (aka Benedict) launched another verbal attack on the gays.  He thinks that marriage equality and a woman’s control over her own body – or, as he might put it, gay marriage and abortion – were among the “most insidious and dangerous challenges that today confront the common good.”

What’s the matter, Joseph?  Worldwide and systemic child rape and abuse, and cover-up, is not insidious and dangerous enough for you?  Or are you just spinning wildly against the gays in another predictable attempt to distract from just that very issue?

• So, what’s been happening elsewhere during these past few days? Were there any events taking place in your neck of the woods?

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