These are our top gay news picks from February 1st to 8th:
Gay Vancouver News
- Vancouver councillor’s gay rights ideas well-received by IOC: Tim Stevenson wants sexual orientation in Olympic charter
- Video: Vancouver pub supports gay Russians: The Fountainhead Pub is running a campaign throughout the Olympics to support their Russian allies and let them know that it gets better.
- Canadian cities to fly gay pride flags in Olympic protest: Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, and St. John’s, among other cities, have decided to fly the iconic gay pride flag at for the duration of the Olympic Games in solidarity with Russia’s gay and lesbian communities.
Gay Canada News
- Mr. Gay Canada 2014: Coquitlam's Christepher Wee advocates diversity as social education: "Live your life as best you can as a humanitarian and your labels fall secondary," he says of his personal philosophy. "For me, I don't go through life helping someone…because I'm Chinese or I'm an LGBT member. I'm doing it because I'm a human being and that's what we should be doing."
- Bell Canada puts its weight behind gay rights with Olympic ad depicting couple kissing: Canadian Olympic Committee sponsor BCE Inc. appears to be dipping its toe ever so gingerly into controversial waters: the discussion around gay rights, and their suppression, in the Games’ host country.
- Rob Ford wants gay pride flag outside of city hall taken down: TORONTO – Mayor Rob Ford wants a rainbow flag raised outside of city hall in support of gay rights in Russia to be taken down and replaced by the Canadian flag.
LGBT and Gay World News
- Feds to expand legal benefits, services for same-sex marriages: In a major milestone for gay rights, the United States government plans to expand recognition of same-sex marriages in federal legal matters, including bankruptcies, prison visits and survivor benefits.
- Charity puts public sector employers top in gay-friendly ranking: Public organisations comprise half of the 2014 Stonewall top 20 diverse employers