Same-sex couples will reportedly be allowed to register their unions as 'civil partnerships' under government plans, giving them property and inheritance rights and recognition as next-of-kin. But the register would not cover all unmarried couples, such as cohabiting heterosexuals.
Source: The Independent, 6.12.02
Links: Independent article | Guardian report
Date: 2002-Dec
The Crown Prosecution Service published a public policy statement on homophobic crime, setting out the way it will deal with these offences. It said that 'homophobic crime is based on prejudice, discrimination and hate and has no place in an open and democratic society'.
Source: Policy for Prosecuting Cases with a Homophobic Element, Crown Prosecution Service (020 7796 8000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Nov
A gay man has the same rights as a spouse or a cohabitee of the opposite sex to take over a dead partner's tenancy, the Court of Appeal ruled.
Source: Ghaidan v Mendoza, Court of Appeal ruling, 5.11.02
Links: Law report | Guardian report
Date: 2002-Nov
A report charted continuing increases during 2001 in the incidence of HIV among gay men, and of hepatitis among drug users.
Source: Prevalence of HIV and Hepatitis Infections in the United Kingdom 2001, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary
Date: 2002-Nov
Guidelines were published (with the approval of the Department of Health) aimed at helping healthcare professions deal with and eradicate homophobia.
Source: Dignity at Work for Lesbian and Gay Doctors and Dentists, Gay and Lesbian Association of Doctors and Dentists (0870 765 5606)
Links: Guidelines (pdf)
Date: 2002-Oct
A survey found no evidence of an increase in 'HIV complacency' amongst gay men in the United Kingdom.
Source: David Reid, Peter Weatherburn, Ford Hickson and Michael Stephens, Know the Score: Findings from the National Gay Men's Sex Survey 2001, Terrence Higgins Trust (020 7816 4643) and Sigma Research/University of Portsmouth
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/1, Digest 121, paragraph 2.6
Date: 2002-Oct
Gay and lesbian couples would be given the same tenancy rights as married couples under plans to remove discrimination from the law in this area.
Source: Renting Homes 2: Co-occupation, Transfer and Succession, CP168, Law Commission, TSO (0870 600 5522) | The Guardian, 11.9.02
Links: Paper (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2002-Sep
The Office for National Statistics reportedly confirmed that it has begun asking questions about people's sexuality as part of a regular face-to-face survey, in an attempt to establish reliable estimates of the gay population.
Source: The Observer, 11.8.02
Links: Observer article
Date: 2002-Aug
A court granted a gay father joint parental rights over his child, born by artificial insemination to a lesbian woman.
Source: The Times, 7.5.02
Date: 2002-May