The coalition Government is due to formally commit to its gay rights agenda tomorrow with the Conservatives' first ever Downing Street party for Britain's gay community.

When David Cameron hosts gay community leaders at Downing Street tomorrow night, the elephant in the room will be the ban on same-sex civil marriage. It is the last homophobic law in the UK. The coalition government, despite its professed support for gay equality, is refusing to repeal it.

There are notoriously no ethnic minority Liberal Democrat MPs, and only one serving peer

The conviction by a Malawian court of Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga on charges of homosexuality is the latest example of how, more than four decades after most African nations won their independence, the evils of colonialism continue to wreck lives.

Provocative, unpredictable and uncompromising, Peter Tatchell has made many enemies over the 20 years he has campaigned for gay rights. But he tells Patrick Strudwick why he'll never stop fighting

Jonathan Harvey's new play, Canary, takes its title from Peter Tatchell's statement, "Women and gay people are the litmus test of whether a society is democratic in respecting human rights. We're the canaries in the mine."

Justin Fashanu was the first, and only, top-flight player to come out. Now, 12 years after his suicide, the fight against homophobia goes on.

A Catholic archbishop will today issue a statement about the safeguarding of children after sex abuse accusations that have rocked the Church.

The Catholic Church in England and Wales issued a rare statement today publicly refuting comments from a senior Vatican official who suggested a link between child abuse and homosexuality.

Ever since its annexation by Pakistan in 1948, Baluchistan has been subjected to a quadruple whammy of military occupation, political domination, economic exploitation and cultural hegemony. Just like Israel's settlement programme on the West Bank, Islamabad has a settler scheme to colonise Baluchistan. It is encouraging Punjabis to move to the region. The aim is to make the Baluch people a minority in their own homeland.

If David Cameron was in any doubt about the anger caused by Chris Grayling's unfortunate slip on gay rights, they would have been quickly erased by a quick glance outside Conservative Party headquarters in Westminster yesterday. A band of around 400 gay rights activists launched a colourful protest outside the Millbank building, calling on the Tory leader to "Come Out" and discuss his policies for promoting equality for gay and lesbian people. Some clutched bunches of pink balloons, others posed for photographs as they kissed in front of Mr Cameron's famed "Time for Change" posters.

Chris Grayling's chances of becoming the next Home Secretary took a further blow yesterday after one of his high-profile predecessors suggested he would be willing to return to the post should David Cameron form the next Government.

The shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling MP should apologise and retract his support for discrimination against gay couples by B&B owners. By endorsing their right to refuse accommodation to gay partners, he has stirred new doubts about the Conservatives' commitment to lesbian and gay equality – doubts reinforced by David Cameron's notable silence.

I'm an admirer of Peter Tatchell, but I'm afraid his press release in response to the death of Michael Foot plumbs previously unfathomed depths of solipsism: