Irish politicians have passed a bill granting gay and lesbians couples the right to civil partnerships. The bill passed in the Dail yesterday without a vote and justice minister Dermot Ahern said the move reflected change in Irish society. "Our society has change substantially in recent decades," he said. "While marriage is more popular than ever, other forms of relationships have become increasingly common; they create some difficulties in the legal system and require in our law a measure of recognition and of protection."

Last year in May Australian photographer Madeleine Marx–Bentley visited Riga, where her pictures where exhibited within the first Baltic pride event. This year Madeleine has brought a new exhibition to Riga "Emnity & Amour: The Story of Two Marches" where she gives her impression about the pride parade on both sides of the police fences.

The exhibition will be up at the art cafe Sienna, Strelnieku iela 3, from May 28 until June 3.
The opening event will take place on Saturday, May 29 at 17.00.

From May 6 till May 9, Vilnius will host the Baltic Pride 2010. This is the first Pride festival in the history of Lithuania. Let’s get together and be a part of the history as well as show the Baltic solidarity and stand for human rights.

Brussels, 22nd March. Negotiations came to a close last Friday over the revised Cotonou Agreement, which delineates political and trade relations between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states. Out of 79 ACP states, 49 criminalise homosexuality with up to 14 years in jail, and up to 5 punish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with death.

In December 2009, residents of Latvia were involved in a public opinion survey to measure their attitudes towards a forthcoming partnership law, characterising their possible actions if they learn that their colleague is homosexual, sharing their opinion on whether homosexual people and homosexual relationships are/aren’t acceptable, as well as indicating whether social attitudes towards homosexual people should become more tolerant or less tolerant than at present.