Latest Gay Belfast News

According to Irish Senator David Norris, Ireland, north and south, is “nearly there” in terms of achieving equality for gay people. Senator Norris, a prominent human rights campaigner in the Republic of Ireland, who was the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in Ireland, was speaking ahead of the Amnesty International Belfast Pride lecture on Monday evening. Norris has recently indicated his intention to stand for the Irish Presidency. Senator Norris said: “The recent passage of the Civil Partnership Bill by the Oireachtas in Dublin represents a very significant advance. “It was a victory, not for gay people, but rather a victory for decency and for this country as a whole. “It is clear that we are very nearly there in terms of the accomplishment of full human and civil rights of gay people in Ireland, both north and south. But we are not there yet. “Despite such victories, sadly there is still prejudice against the gay community – including among those active in public life in Northern Ireland. We must continue to work to ensure human rights for all people and to educate others that equality is a right not a threat. “It is crucial that we do not shed our concerns for others throughout the world who live in less favourable circumstances and whose sexual orientation places them every day in danger of being murdered, either by members of the public or by their governments.” Amnesty International recently campaigned on behalf of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, a couple in Malawi who were arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison with hard labour after having an engagement celebration ahead of their planned wedding. Amnesty International will be asking people throughout Belfast to support its ‘Love is a Human Right’ campaign during Belfast Pride week which starts this weekend. The Amnesty International Belfast Pride Lecture, presented by Amnesty International as part of the 2010 Belfast Pride Festival, will take place at 6:30pm on tonight (Monday 26 July) at the Europa Hotel, Belfast. The event is free of charge.

Wimbledon 2010 winner Rafael Nadal has come out as the sexiest male tennis player in the world, according to a new poll by Gaydar Radio. The hunky Spaniard beat fellow tennis players Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic to the top spot with a massive 52 per cent of the vote. Meanwhile, Andy Murray came in joint third with 9 per cent. Described as “chicken-faced” and “violently unattractive”, by listeners, he failed to impress.

Stunning Nadal pulled in over half the gay male votes, beating Novak Djokovic by a landslide, who only managed to score 13 per cent. Andy Murray and Roger Federer came in way behind with 9 per cent each. Surprisingly, Wimbledon runner-up, Tomas Berdych came in last with only 4 per cent of the votes. “Pure Prime Pecs!” said Gaydar Radio breakfast co-host, Neil Sexton, when describing Nadal. “He has the perfect body. He’s right up there with Beckham and Ronaldo on my ‘to-do list’”. Commenting on the BBC Wimbledon coverage, Breakfast show presenters Neil and Debbie said: “Whoever is working the cameras this year, we want to say a huge thank you! The slow motion shots of Nadal peeling his shirt off made our Wimbledon. Hell, we’d pay our licence fee for that alone!”

The 20th Anniversary Gay Pride Dinner on Saturday 26th June was a resounding success, and everyone had a great time. Some of the comments received from the attendees. “I had a great night. Seemed like a great success from where I was sitting.
Good luck for the festivities ahead and I’ll be at a few events myself no doubt.” GRAEME FARROW

” This was a thoroughly enjoyable event. It is still relatively rare, outside of Pride Week, for our communities to take over a public space for ourselves. Thanks to Unison and NIC-ICTU for sponsoring two tables! It was great to see so many friends (and friendly faces) in one place. This was a superbly well organised event and I hope it becomes an annual date in our diaries.” BARRY FITZPATRICK

“The Strabane & Lifford LGBT Group had a wonderful night at the Hilton and the 20th Pride anniversary dinner. The food and wine was delicious and it was great to meet all our colleagues throughout the province. As the group are relatively new it was a great opportunity to meet with other LGBT activists and supporters throughout Northern Ireland, many of whom we hadn’t seen in years. The launch of the Belfast Pride Programme was an extremely inspiring and motivating experience for the group and encouraged us to feel included and part of something bigger.

Winning the Community Group of the Year Award was a wonderful surprise and a proud moment for all our Group. At times we forget to celebrate our achievements and congratulate ourselves on good work done, receiving this award allowed us time to reflect and acknowledge how far the group has come and indeed how far we can go.

The members, committee, volunteers and staff of Strabane & Lifford LGBT Group would like to extend a big warm thank you to everyone at Belfast Pride for an exceptionally enjoyable and memorable night and we look forward to seeing everyone in July”. GINA GALLAGHER

“The Belfast Pride 20th Anniversary Dinner last night was wonderful. It was a privilege to attend an LGBT black tie affair in Belfast and a very memorable experience for me.

I enjoyed sitting with the Newry men and they were so sweet to me (one told me that they were on their best behaviour). I would love to see a picture of their awarding winning float. I imagine it may be over the top?

It is so evident that the Belfast Pride committee has devoted countless hours to making this year an experience to remember. I am excited about the upcoming Belfast Pride events and I have started filling my calendar with the scheduled events. Thank you for the Belfast Pride Guide.” MARGARET FINE

The Belfast Pride Committee send their thanks to everyone who helped in any way with the Dinner, particularly the staff in the Hilton Hotel in Belfast who made us feel so welcome. Thanks also to Perfect Strangers who were fantastic – we can’t wait to see you on the stage at Party in the Square!

A community-led project aimed at better protection for NI's gay community has been revealed today. Police in South and East Belfast, in partnership with The Rainbow Project, the NI Housing Executive, Community Safety Partnership and Belfast City Council Good Relations Unit have launched an Advocacy Scheme for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Community. It is said to be building on the success of the two previously launched Advocacy Schemes – the Bi-lingual Advocates working with the Chinese and Polish communities and the Hate Crime Advocate. The new project involves the appointment of an Advocate to work closely with the LGBT community in areas such as Hate Crime, domestic abuse, homelessness and other issues of concern. The main objectives are to encourage reporting, reduce crime, enhance crime investigations, improve clearance rates for hate crimes, provide support for victims including housing support and reduce anti-social behaviour towards members of the LGBT community. The advocate will be based within the offices of the Rainbow Project in Belfast. A spokesman said: "Police are aware that members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities do not always fully engage with them when it comes to reporting crime, anti-social behaviour or giving information. "The Advocacy scheme is aimed at building trust and confidence within these communities, as well as providing practical support and assistance when coming in contact with their local police and statutory agencies," he said in a statement. Officers in South and East Belfast are confident that the LGBT Advocate will become an invaluable tool in addressing the underreporting of crime by the LGBT community as well as in instilling a sense of equality. It is also hoped that in time, members of the LGBT community will consider the Police Service as a career option and thus help the Police Service become even more representative of the entire community. Speaking at today's launch, B District Deputy Commander, Superintendent Chris Noble said that building trust and promoting diversity were key priorities in today's policing environment. "Attacks on people with a different sexual orientation or gender identity highlight the necessity to ensure that as a society we stamp out hate crime once and for all. "We are working tirelessly with our partners to do this. Our 'Policing a Shared Future Strategy' outlines the need to ensure that everything we do is underpinned by fairness and respect towards all members of our community. "This includes ensuring equality for all, improving relations between different groups in our society by promoting diversity and building confidence in the police. "I believe that the appointment of the LGBT Advocate will be a tremendous step in that direction," he said. Last year, the Rainbow Project carried out research into the levels of homophobic hate crime in Northern Ireland and found that of the 1,143 people who were surveyed, one fifth had been the victim of a hate crime in the previous three years. It also showed that under-reporting was a serious issue with 64% of these incidents never being reported to the PSNI. Director of The Rainbow Project John O'Doherty said: "The Rainbow Project is very excited about this new project. "Over the last number of years The Rainbow Project has been working in partnership with the PSNI and other agencies to tackle homophobic and transphobic hate crime. "We have developed a number of key partnership protocols to make it easier for people to report and therefore increase the reporting of hate crime. The appointment of an LGBT Advocate is an exciting addition to this ongoing work."

A Lithuanian immigrant tried to cut his own wrists after being taken down from the dock after being jailed for 20 years for the horrific homophobic murder of Shaun Fitzpatrick. Andrius Dunauskas had just been sentenced along with fellow killer Ramunas Balseris when he jumped to his feet in the dock of Belfast Crown Court, shouting and pointing his finger at Mr Justice Hart. Prison staff had to wrestle the 23-year-old former martial arts trainee to the ground after he refused to be handcuffed, before dragging him off to the cells. While in the cells he cut himself with a razor blade and was taken to hospital for treatment before being taken back to Maghaberry prison. The Prison Service said he had been fully searched before leaving prison. The Dungannon Crown Court judge, sitting in Belfast, had just told he and Balseris (26) he would recommended their deportation after they'd served at least 20 years of their life sentences. The pair, Dunauskas of Lisnahull Road and Balseris of Altmore Drive, Dungannon, were convicted in March of murdering the supermarket boss, beaten so badly paramedics thought he'd been shot in the head. They ambushed the “inoffensive” shop manager simply because he was gay, initially felling him with a high karate kick to the head, before dragging him up an alleyway and subjecting him to “vicious and prolonged attack”. Later both blamed each other for the murder in the the early hours of March 23, 2008.

Peter Robinson, the beleaguered First Minister of Northern Ireland, dramatically lost his Commons seat after months of political and personal controversy. Mr Robinson, who had held Belfast East since 1979, was ousted by the Alliance Party, which won a 22.9 per cent swing in support. The victory for Naomi Long, the lord mayor of Belfast, left Mr Robinson’s Democratic Unionist Party supporters gasping in disbelief.

The defeat came after Mr Robinson returned to power having stepped aside for six weeks following a string of damaging disclosures about him and his wife Iris. It was alleged Mrs Robinson had obtained £50,000 from two property developers for a teenager with whom she was having an affair, and did not inform the relevant authorities. Mr and Mrs Robinson had also faced severe criticism over their use of parliamentary expenses in the previous year including £1,644.90 for a new bed and luxury goods such as a £300 Mont Blanc fountain pen. Together the couple (locally known as 'Swish Family Robinson') have come under scrutiny for their financial affairs before, and were estimated to be earning almost £600,000 a year in salaries and expenses. Mrs Robinson earned £63,291 for her position as an MP, £24,296 as an Assembly member and as chairwoman of its health and social services committee and £9,550 as a councillor for the Castlereagh borough in Northern Ireland. Mr Robinson takes home £63,291 as MP for East Belfast, £71,434 for his role as First Minister plus a third of the £43,101 salary for being an Assembly member because he is also an MP. They also claimed more than £150,000 a year for the salaries of their staff with Mr Robinson employing their daughter Rebekah as office manager and private secretary and son Gareth as parliamentary assistant. Mrs Robinson employed their other son Jonathan as office manager and daughter-in-law Ellen Robinson as part-time secretary. Despite his defeat, Mr Robinson said he would stay on in Stormont, adding: “It is vital for the sake of Northern Ireland we continue the momentum moving forward.” Speaking after the announcement of his loss, Mr Robinson went on: “I have a job to do, and have a mandate to do a job in the Assembly of Northern Ireland. “I will always do my best to get the best deal for the people of Northern Ireland.”

Naomi Long has been widely praised for her hard work, sound principles, unvarnished good humour and easy articulacy. Most unusually for a politician, Long really is loved. But while there had been whispers that she could topple the DUP’s Peter Robinson in East Belfast, and the odd tentative bet placed, few believed she could really do it – especially given the large loyalist electorate. It’s not natural Alliance Party territory. The new MP for East Belfast, who becomes the first member of her party to be elected to the Commons, first took political office in 2001, when she was elected to Belfast City Council. An East Belfast seat in the Assembly followed in 2003, and in 2006 she became Alliance’s deputy leader. She is currently Lord Mayor of Belfast. She’s only the second woman to take the role, and Long is proud of the fact that both she and Grace Bannister, the first female lord mayor of the city, are past pupils of Bloomfield Collegiate, the East Belfast all-girls school. Long is passionate about the awkward charms of her native city, whether cheerfully strumming a guitar in support of the Nashville songwriters’ festival, or officially opening the first Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgendered centre in Belfast. She’s also been praised for her behind-the-scenes work in supporting asylum seekers. orn in 1971, Long grew up in the heart of East Belfast, later taking a Masters in Civil Engineering at Queen’s University. Her husband, Michael Long, is also an Alliance politician, serving on Castlereagh Borough Council. In a recent interview with a blogger, Long said she and her husband, both Presbyterians, had debated whether to stay in the North or leave: “We decided we wanted to stay here, but that we wanted to make a difference. And we ended up joining Alliance because we saw in Alliance a kind of microcosm of what society could be like and that you had people from all different backgrounds . . . locked in around the same ideals and vision, and for us that was kind of a hopeful thing.” Long says the real satisfaction, for her, is dealing with the problems of constituents. “That’s the bit of the job I still enjoy most because it makes the most tangible difference to people who come through the door of the office. If you can get the problems solved, if you can cut down the bureaucracy, get between them and some of the statutory agencies, and deal with the issues quickly for them, it makes a huge difference.”

THE Conservative Party candidate who founded a church that tried to “cure” gay people by driving out demons failed in her attempt to become an MP. Philippa Stroud, the high-flying Tory hopeful who was tipped to take Sutton and Cheam from the Liberal Democrat Paul Burstow, was narrowly beaten into second place in a 73 per cent turnout. The Observer newspaper reported that Ms Stroud, executive director of Conservative think tank the Centre for Social Justice, had set up an evangelical church in Bedford where homosexuality, according to ex-members, was ascribed to demonic influence. Despite David Cameron’s apology last year for section 28 (a Thatcher law that banned local authorities from portraying homosexuality in a positive light) and his recent claims that his party had “been on a journey” in its attitude to gay rights, successive polls by PinkNews.co.uk, Europe’s largest gay news site, found Tory allegiance among its readers down from 39 per cent last June to 9 per cent days before the election. Comments by Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, that he had sympathy for BB owners who turn away gay customers, provoked a fall from 25 per cent to 20 per cent. Several Tory candidates accused of homophobia during the campaign did less well than hoped in their constituencies. Mr Grayling held his seat in Epsom and Ewell despite a 2.1 per cent swing to the Lib Dems. In North Ayrshire and Arran, Philip Lardner, who was suspended from his party after opining on his website that homosexuality was “not normal”, came third with a 2.7 per cent fall in his vote from 2005. And in Wallasey, the Tories were kept at bay after a Wirral councillor Denis Knowles was suspended for writing on Facebook about “limp-wristed” boys leafleting in his area. Labour’s Angela Eagle, a lesbian, increased her vote to win with a 8,507 majority. Gay trust for Cameron personally also fell, according to the site’s polls. A week ago, 74 per cent of a 1,000-strong sample said they did not believe Cameron’s gay-friendly rhetoric. Following the Observer article, that number rose to 81 per cent. However, Tory Margot James became Britain’s second openly lesbian MP after her convincing victory in Stourbridge. James Hargreaves, a 22-year-old gay man from Scarborough, said: “I was going to vote Tory. But the final blow came with the Philippa Stroud story. The three out gay men in David Cameron's shadow cabinet have held on to their seats. Nick Herbert, Alan Duncan and Greg Barker were all returned to Westminster. Mr Duncan and Mr Barker saw a slight drop in their majorities to the Liberal Democrats. Other out gay candidates who won were Iain Stewart for Milton Keynes South and Stuart Andrew for Pudsey. The party has 20 out gay MPs, although only 11 were happy to be named in the media.

An advertising campaign aimed at encouraging the reporting and awareness of hate crimes and incidents is being launched by the Police Service. PSNI Launch of anti-hate crime campaign

The advertisements carry a simple message ‘nobody deserves this and nobody deserves to get away with it’ with photographic images representing the six areas of hate crime - racist, homophobic, transphobic, sectarian, religion and crimes against people with disabilities. The advertisements will appear on billboards, adshels, washroom posters and online for the next month and will feature primarily in areas of high reporting. In the past year there were 671 racist hate crimes, 108 homophobic hate crimes, 27 faith/religion related hate crimes, 1200 sectarian hate crimes, 4 transphobic hate crimes and 63 disability related hate crimes reported in Northern Ireland. Over the same period in 2008-2009 there were 771 racist hate crimes, 134 homophobic hate crimes, 35 faith/religion related hate crimes, 1,017 sectarian hate crimes, 2 transphobic hate crimes and 28 disability related hate crimes. Speaking about the campaign, Assistant Chief Constable Will Kerr believes that there is still under-reporting and thus this is once again the main focus of the campaign. He said: “I want to encourage people, whether they are victims of a crime or witnesses to an incident to report it to police. There are a number of methods available to make reports; these are in person, telephone or online reporting. “As a Police Service we are fully committed to playing our role in preventing such dreadful crimes occurring. We all have a part to play in dealing with hate crime; the police alone cannot solve what is a wider societal issue. We all have a responsibility to unite against hate.” “The advertisements put the issue in clear and simple terms - hate crime is unacceptable, no one deserves it and no one deserves to get away with it; to stop it, report it.” To report a hate crime or to find out further information visit the PSNI Website.

Two men have been found guilty of murdering a County Tyrone supermarket manager almost two years ago. Shaun Fitzpatrick, 32, was found dead in an alleyway off the Donaghmore Road in Dungannon early on 23 March 2008. Andrius Dunauskas, 23, of Lisnahull Road, and Raminas Balseris, 26, of Altmore Drive, were found guilty at Dungannon Crown Court. The pair, originally from Lithuania, killed him because he was gay. He was attacked on his way home from a bar. Mr Fitzpatrick was so badly beaten that police initially thought he may have been shot. Mr Justice Hart said it must have been "an unpleasant experience" for the jury "having to listen to the terrible injuries inflicted on Mr Fitzpatrick by these two men for no other reason than contempt for his sexuality". He said murder carried a mandatory life sentence, and next month he would determine the minimum term they must serve. During the trial, both men admitted being present during the attack but blamed each other. Dunauskas admitted punching Mr Fitzpatrick once in the face, a blow which forced him to the ground. He claimed he agreed to help Balseris out of drunken aggression. However, Balseris claimed that it was Dunauskas who began the assault with a martial arts kick to the head.

Balseris alleged Dunauskas continued to kick and stamp on the defenceless victim. He further claimed Dunauskas told him Mr Fitzpatrick had to die because if he were left alive he would be able to identify him as his attacker. After the guilty verdicts, Mr Fitzpatrick's sister, Stacy McNally, read a statement on behalf of the family. She said that they "pray that these evil men never walk the streets of Northern Ireland again, because our Shaun won't". Mr Fitzpatrick was described as was "a loving son, a great brother, wonderful uncle, fun-loving, hard-working, soft-hearted, kind and inoffensive". She said that when he died, "part of us died with him". Detective Superintendent David McConville said Mr Fitzpatrick's family had "shown remarkable dignity throughout this harrowing ordeal". He said police were "greatly encouraged" by the help offered by the local community. "The two men that carried out this shockingly violent attack are originally from Lithuania, however they do not represent the law-abiding members of the Lithuanian community living in Dungannon, who can expect the same level of support from the police service as everyone else in Northern Ireland," he said. "This case shows that no-one in the community is above the law, regardless of their background or ethnicity."

Adrian Watson has been chosen by his Ulster Unionist constituency association to represent South Antrim in May. The Mayor of Antrim caused offence after saying he would not allow gay and lesbian couples to stay at his bed and breakfast. “The difficulty would arise because of the logistics of the bed and breakfast — if it was a same sex couple — and because my wife has strong Christian views, she felt it was difficult to facilitate that,” he said on the Stephen Nolan show. However, speaking to the Belfast Telegraph this week, Mr Watson claimed his remarks had been misinterpreted. “I have never called anybody a ‘homo’ in my life,” he said. “I have no issue with the gay community or with gay people and I have always made that clear. I would dissociate myself from the comment. I treat every member of the community with respect irrespective of their class, colour, creed or sexuality. I believe in equality and rights for everyone.” Mr Watson is no stranger to controversy. In 2005 he described members of the Travelling community at a local halting point as “scumbags” and the “scum of the earth”, and in 2008 risked prosecution after tackling a burglar at his own home with a baseball bat.

The decision by the South Antrim Ulster Unionist Association to select Mr Watson was made in the same week the Tories launched a national programme promoting gay equality, prompting campaigners to urge David Cameron to reject his nomination. Jeffrey Peel, a member of the Conservative Party in Northern Ireland, said he agreed with the gay rights campaigners. “I don’t know the guy but if he genuinely doesn’t welcome people into his bed and breakfast because of their sexual orientation, then I would be in absolute agreement with the gay rights campaigners on this case. “I am not sure that the Conservative Party should be endorsing such a candidate.” Last night a spokesman for the Conservatives stressed that Mr Watson was not yet a Tory candidate. “He has not yet been selected so I can’t prejudice that process,” he said. The Ulster Unionists said they were committed to equality, a spokesperson said: “The Ulster Unionist Party has a strong commitment to a tolerant and inclusive Northern Ireland within the UK. “This is illustrated by our 2007 Assembly manifesto commitment: ‘Ulster Unionists are proud of Northern Ireland's place in the diverse, pluralist, modern United Kingdom. We believe in a culturally diverse Northern Ireland in which the rights of all are secured within the Union. At the core of Ulster Unionist values is the conviction that all in Northern Ireland, irrespective of class, gender, religious belief, political opinion, sexual orientation, colours or race should share in the cherished position of equal citizenship in the United Kingdom.” The final nomination process has yet to be completed and although Mr Watson has tried to distance himself from the controversial comments made on radio in 2006, the Conservatives may decide to veto his nomination when he appears before the joint committee of senior officials next month.

A psychiatrist who worked with shamed former MP Iris Robinson has been reported to the General Medical Council for his work in trying to “cure” gay people. Dr Paul Miller, who has a private practice in south Belfast, was the therapist referred to by Mrs Robinson when she made her now-infamous remarks about gay people in June 2008. Speaking after a gay man was beaten up in Northern Ireland, she said she knew a “lovely psychiatrist” who worked with her and was able to turn gays straight. Dr Miller runs the Abeo umbrella organisation for therapists who try to cure homosexuality, believes that “same-sex attraction” in men stems from “core un-met needs” such as the lack of a father figure. He worked with Mrs Robinson as a part-time advisor when she was chair of the Health Committee at Stormont. He was exposed last month when gay journalist Patrick Strudwick went undercover to receive treatment from him. Mr Strudwick had two webcam therapy sessions with Dr Miller, in which the psychiatrist encouraged him to become aroused and spoke about his own struggles to fight attraction to men. The methods were condemned by Professor Michael King, a psychiatrist from University College and Dominic Davies, the founder and director of Soho-based Pink Therapy. Following the experience, which he wrote about in the Independent, Mr Strudwick reported Dr Miller to the General Medical Council. Mr Strudwick told the BBC: “It was very disturbing because I was acutely aware during the sessions of the effect this would be having on a vulnerable young person had I been genuinely seeking treatment. I felt disgusted and abused by his inappropriate sexual remarks during the sessions. To hear this from a psychiatrist during a session, it was like being sexually assaulted.” He added that he wanted to see the psychiatrist struck off. Dr Miller would not comment and instead gave a statement to the BBC saying: “I am currently responding to a complaint made to the GMC and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment at this time.” The General Medical Council is expected to discuss his case next month.

Gay campaigners in Belfast began a weekend of protests last night against an international conference in Belfast which promotes the controversial claim that homosexuality can be "cured" using psychotherapy and prayer. The conference is organised by Core Issues, an evangelical Christian group in Northern Ireland which promotes so-called "conversion therapy" and claims to have "saved" numerous homosexual Christians. The 'star' speaker is the Rev Mario Bergner, a Canadian-born “ex-gay” Chicago-based Anglican preacher and leading proponent of conversion therapy, who claims to have been cured of Aids and homosexuality through prayer. In response, a coalition of protesters has begun picketing Ballynahinch Baptist Church, where the conference began last night. The protests are being organised by the Queer Youth Network and the Stop Conversion Therapy Taskforce (SCOTT), a new lobby group set up by gay journalist Patrick Strudwick from the Independent. To support Patrick visit his Facebook site.

Dungannon Crown Court has heard the extent of the injuries suffered by a gay man who was murdered last Easter Sunday. Shaun Fitzpatrick, 32, was found dead on March 23rd 2008 in an alleyway in Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. This week, the Court was told that the shopkeeper had 52 injuries separate injuries, with 36 of them to his head. Deputy state pathologist Dr Alistair Bentley said Fitzpatrick's injuries included a broken nose, two broken teeth and bruising and cuts to his head, neck, mouth and parts of his upper body. Two men, Andrius Dunauskas, 23, and Raminas Balseris, 26, are being tried for his murder. Both blame the other for the killing. They had been drinking at the same bar as Fitzpatrick on the night of the killing and Dunauskas had allegedly tried to hit the deceased but was stopped by friends. The pair later walked home together and spotted Fitzpatrick walking ahead of them. Balseris claims that Dunauskas carried out the attack because he "didn't like gays". Dunauskas admits punching Fitzpatrick, but claims Balseris kicked the dead man in the head. Balseris denies taking part in the attack.

Northern Ireland Bishop Pat Buckley has postponed his civil partnership after his fiance got "stressed out" with the media attention. Bishop Buckley, who is not officially a bishop, announced his plans to wed chef Eduardo Yango earlier this month. The pair were set to tie the knot yesterday but the ceremony reportedly descended into chaos when Mr Yango became publicity-shy. The Belfast Telegraph reports that around half a dozen journalists and photographers gathered outside Larne Borough Council's offices but as the scheduled time for the ceremony passed, the happy couple did not materialise. Instead, a receptionist came outside to tell the small crowd the ceremony was off. Bishop Buckley later told reporters: “Eduardo has found the last ten to 14 days really overwhelming. We decided that we’d postpone things on Sunday night because he is totally and utterly stressed out.”

Mr Yango, who is from the Philippines, had been shocked to see so many global news headlines about himself, the bishop said. Bishop Buckley added: "Culturally speaking, the Philippines is where Ireland was 30 or 40 years ago. So from a cultural, religious and stress point of view, he’s just been finding things very difficult." But he said that the civil partnership would take place soon. Bishop Buckley was ordained as a Catholic diocesan priest in 1976. He set up an independent ministry in 1986 and was subsequently excommunicated when he was ordained as an episcopal bishop in 1998. He now offers wedding ceremonies for divorcees and mixed-religion couples along with blessings for gays and lesbians, styling himself as an "unofficial chaplain to disaffected and alienated Catholics and Christians".

Playgirl magazine chase Iris Robinson's lover for racy photoshoot (19 January 2010)

Kirk McCambley, the toyboy lover of homophobic Iris Robinson is being pursued by Playgirl magazine. The US publication, which famously featured Levi Johnston, the father of Sarah Palin's grandchild, has said it wants Kirk McCambley to agree to a racy photoshoot. The magazine has a strong following of gay men, as well as women. Playgirl's director of marketing Daniel Nardicio told the Belfast Telegraph that McCambley was "very attractive". He said: "He's Irish, he's good-looking and the toppling of a political dynasty is just great. "We re-launched the magazine last December with the Levi Johnston shoot. Kirk McCambley would be a great follow up to that. It's a fantastic story, it's interesting and he is very attractive. He fits into what we are trying to do with Playgirl." Nardico would not disclose how much money McCambley could earn from the shoot but said it would be "a fair bit". McCambley has already been offered the chance to appear on the cover of UK gay magazine Attitude. He has not responded to the offer. It is also reported that US chatshow queen Oprah Winfrey is keen to have Robinson tell her side of the story. McCambley, appeared on a BBC Northern Ireland Spotlight programme earlier this month when he revealed details of the affair. It took place in the summer of 2008, when Robinson was 59. She has faced accusations of financial impropriety with allegations that she procured a loan for him to start a business without declaring her interest. She has not commented on the relationship and has not been seen in public for weeks. Robinson is receiving psyciatric treatment in a Belfast hospital.

Gay magazine Attitude is offering Iris Robinson's 21-year-old toyboy a chance to appear on its cover. Kirk McCambley was 19 when he had an affair with the 60-year-old Northern Ireland MP.

Iris Robinson, a devout Christian, embarked on the extra-marital affair in the summer of 2008 while making a series of homophobic comments in the media. She caused outrage in the gay community by declaring homosexuality was an ‘abomination’ and said it was ‘comparable’ to paedophilia. She also said: "Just as murderers can receive God’s forgiveness by receiving the blood of Christ, so can homosexuals." Attitude editor Matthew Todd said his magazine had tried to contact Kirk McCambley without success. He said: "Kirk is incredibly hot and we’d love to see him on the cover of Attitude. We think our readers would go as wild for him as Iris obviously did. We’d love for him to get in touch. We’ve put in a few calls to the Lockkeeper’s Inn but no one has answered the phone." London PR guru Max Clifford, who brokered the story on David Beckham’s affair with Rebecca Loos — which also infamously involved a series of text messages — has said Kirk could earn a six figure sum for telling his story. While Kirk is unafraid of talking to journalists at the moment, he has not yet spoken in detail about his affair with Mrs Robinson. “It really all depends on what the lad wants to do,” Mr Clifford told the Sunday Life. “But if he wanted to talk and provide details on his story, we’d be talking hundreds of thousands for different deals. “Everyone wants to know everything about Kirk’s story at the minute and we’d be talking huge sums for it.”

Homophobic MP, Iris Robinson, the 60-year-old wife of Northern Ireland's First Minister was having an affair with a teenager, it was revealed last night. Iris Robinsons Toyboy Kirk McCambley

Iris Robinson earlier this week admitted cheating on her husband, Peter, leader of the hardline Unionist DUP. She also said she had tried to kill herself after the affair. Last night the BBC Northern Ireland documentary 'Spotlight' revealed her lover's name to be Kirk McCambley - and they said he was 19 when the pair became involved 18 months ago. They apparently met in March 2008 at the funeral of Mr McCambley's father, a friend of Mrs Robinson. The young man, now 21, owns the Lock Keeper's Inn in south Belfast. Details of the affair were revealed by the BBC in an interview with her husband. Last night it was claimed that Mrs Robinson organised a £50,000 loan to help her toyboy lover set up the restaurant business. She secured the money from two family friend developers but faces claims that she did not declare an interest in the business, despite sitting on the local council that awarded the tender to Mr McCambley. The BBC further alleges that her husband became aware of the situation but did not take steps to alert the authorities. If the claims made by the BBC Spotlight investigation are true, they would represent clear breaches of parliamentary rules. Mrs Robinson and Mr McCambley's affair lasted for around five months, ending after they allegedly rowed over the repayment of the money. Four months later, in March last year, the MP attempted to take her own life. Mr Robinson yesterday stated in an emotional TV appearance he would stand by his wife and continue in his post. His wife, MP for Strangford as well as a member of the Northern Ireland assembly, admitted on Wednesday to having the affair and battling depression. The announcement came nine days after she declared she was quitting politics. In her statement she said: 'Everyone is paying a heavy price for my actions... I am so, so sorry. It had no emotional or lasting meaning, but my actions have devastated my life, and the lives of those around me.' Her name will bring to mind the fictional Mrs Robinson, played by Anne Bancroft who had an affair with a man half her age, played by Dustin Hoffman, in the 1967 film The Graduate.

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